


ɘϱɒmI bɘɿoɿɿiM

by TAFKAmayle



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Reality, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Violence, Choking, Claiming, Dark Comedy, Dom/sub, Evil Twins, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Fucked Up, Knifeplay, M/M, Masturbation, Narcissism, Oral Sex, Possessive Behavior, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Self-cest, Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:28:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 30
Words: 68,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TAFKAmayle/pseuds/TAFKAmayle
Summary: The AH Crew are minding their own business being the rulers of Los Santos when they suddenly come face-to-face with their alternate selves. Faced with parts of themselves some of them didn’t realize and some of them tried to ignore, the AH Crew is swept into the twisted world of their alternates, yet somehow stay in their own.TW: This fic contains a Ryan Haywood character.Note about the rape/non-con tag: There are several scenes of extremely dubious or complete non-consent, sexual assault, and pressuring or intimidating someone to have sex. This is another dark story that you should be extremely cautious in choosing to read.Because of the dark themes in this fic, I won’t say who it’s dedicated to, but she knows who she is. Seriously, thank you for your constant support and encouragement. ❤️
Comments: 109
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

On a good day, Jack Pattillo spent her time slamming a baseball bat into people’s faces and eating ice cream with her family. On bad days they only got ice cream. But every day was fairly predictable. Beat up enemies, hang out with her crew. She was happy with that. She really didn’t like surprises. So imagine her frustration when she came around a corner and got the biggest surprise of her life.

She flinched when she saw herself, stumbling backwards. _A mirror? No._ The baseball bat in her hand was also in the mirror’s right hand. Not a mirror. It was another person who looked like her. 

“What the fuck?” They grunted at the same time, “Who are you?”

They touched bats, which Jack _didn’t_ think about as a euphemism and concluded they were not hallucinating. Or else it was a really good hallucination that felt real. They were too identical to just be lookalikes. They were more like clones.

“Either someone gave me some really good drugs or I’m looking at a clone right now,” clone Jack muttered.

“How do you know _you’re_ not the clone?” Jack countered.

The clone hummed thoughtfully.

“Alright, then what are we doing here?” She prompted, “If you’re the real Jack, you’d know.”

“We’re eliminating an enemy gang,” Jack answered easily.

The clone frowned.

“How could you know that?” She murmured, “We didn’t even tell b team what we were doing.”

Jack matched her frown.

“You didn’t tell b team?” She grunted, “Why wouldn’t you tell b team?”

“We have a leak,” the clone pointed out, “If you know about this mission...it has to be one of the main crew.”

“One of the main crew leak information?” Jack snorted, “That’s extremely unlikely.”

The clone raised an eyebrow at her.

“Seriously?” She scoffed, “You don’t think Vagabond would throw us under the moment he gets a better offer? And Rimmy would do whatever he told him. Don’t get me started on Geoff. He loves himself more than anyone else.”

_She calls Ryan and Jeremy their code names, but Geoff by his real name? Also, Geoff loving himself more than others?? What a fucking joke._ Obviously _she_ was the clone being fed wrong information. But there was one thing that seemed especially odd...

“Vagabond and Rimmy, you said,” Jack muttered, “Why would Rimmy follow whatever Vagabond ordered?”

“They’ve got each other’s initials over their hearts, maybe?” The clone sneered, rolling her eyes.

_Initials? Like...claiming each other? They’re together?_ And that was such a specific detail. _She’s not a clone, she’s an alternate version of me._ Jack leaned back and the bat whooshed by her face. 

“It doesn’t matter who the clone is,” the alternate growled, “The number two spot can only have one person in it and I’m the head bitch around here.”

_ Whack! _

“Fuck!” Jack shouted as the alternate punched her with the fist still holding the bat, “Haven’t you ever heard violence isn’t the answer?!”

She ducked another jab and shoved her bat into the alternate’s guts, sending her stumbling back. 

“We’re not clones!” Jack huffed, “We’re alternate versions!”

She ducked a wild swing of the bat.

_“Our_ Vagabond and Rimmy aren’t together!” She continued.

She side-stepped and over-hand swipe.

“And Geoff is actually a fucking softie!” She added, “He loves us like family!” 

The alternate paused, bat hefted over her shoulder. She looked away, face drawing up as she seemed to calculate this as a possibility.

“Shit, if we’re-then he’s-!” She sputtered, eyes jerking back to Jack in alarm, “I need to get to him before he gets to himself!”

“What, why??” Jack wondered wildly.

“Your version is going to screw up everything!” Alternate Jack shrieked, “I have to get rid of him!”

“Over my dead body,” Jack growled, lifting her own bat.

Alternate Jack swung again and Jack realized she was sloppy, her swings uncontrolled. She put everything into offense, nothing to defense. Jack swung at her ribs as the other bat breezed by her own. 

_ Whack! _

The alternate shouted, one hand going to her ribs. 

“You don’t understand!” She cried, swiping back-handed, “He’s going to-! I-I have to stop him!”

Jack swung her bat into the alternate’s wrist, sending her bat flying.

“No one threatens my best friend and gets away with it,” Jack snarled.

Alternate Jack stumbled back, face twisted in confusion.

“Best friend?” She muttered, “You’re not... _together?”_

Jack frowned at her. 

“Together?” She grunted, “Are we together in your universe?”

“As together as anyone can be with Geoff,” Alternate Jack snorted, “You... won’t kill _my_ Geoff, will you?”

“Unless he gives me a reason to,” Jack grumbled.

“Then let’s go!” Alternate Jack barked, “We have to keep them away from each other! I won’t hurt yours if you just keep him away from mine!”

“What’s he going to do??” Jack demanded as she lowered her bat.

“It’s better if we don’t find out!” Alternate Jack insisted, starting toward where Geoff should be.

Jack did _not_ like the sound of that.

~

Geoff Ramsey really thought he had seen about everything. He didn’t think there was much left that could really surprise him. Then he ran into himself. Literally. He rounded a corner and slammed right into himself, falling back onto his ass. He grunted as his tailbone cracked on the concrete floor. It didn’t break, thankfully, but it still fucking hurt. He stared at himself, frowning. That had definitely been a person he slammed into, not a mirror. He’d felt their skull crack against his.

“What the fuck are you supposed to be?” They asked each other, warily getting to their feet.

The other him leaned closer and Geoff leaned away, scowling.

“What’re you-?” He started to ask.

_ Smack! _

The other him bitch slapped him.

“Fucking ow!” He exclaimed, rubbing his face, “What the fuck, dude?”

“You’re real,” The other him hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “And that’s definitely not a mask.”

He gripped Geoff’s chin and twisted his head around.

“Excuse you,” Geoff grumbled.

“No scars,” the other him muttered, “Your face actually does look like mine. Open your mouth.”

Geoff rolled his eyes, but did as requested.

“Huh, that’s definitely my fucked up mouth,” the other him murmured, “No amount of dental work could make you that similar to me.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Geoff snorted, smacking his hand away, “We’re the same person.”

“Alternate realities?” The other him offered.

Geoff hummed thoughtfully as he looked over the other Geoff’s tattoos. They looked the same.

“Or something like that, I guess,” he grunted, “Are we in mine or yours?”

“Does it matter?” The other him wondered, “I’m pretty sure we’re identical. Shouldn’t our realities be as well?”

_“Are_ we identical?” Geoff prompted.

The other him circled around him to look him up and down. Then he suddenly groped his ass. Geoff let out an embarrassing squeak of surprise.

“Definitely my cute ass,” the other him laughed.

“Am I coming onto myself right now??” Geoff wondered wildly as the other him circled back around.

The other him suddenly pushed him up against the wall, groping his crotch as he pinned him with his other forearm to his throat.

“Oh, yeah, that’s mine too,” he sneered, grinning.

Geoff decided he was having a mental breakdown. It was the only explanation. He blushed crimson, grunting as the other him rubbed him through his pants. His cock started to harden from the contact and he groaned, clenching his teeth. _Fuck._ He pushed at the other him’s arms.

“Mm, a meek little lamb version of me?” The other him mused, “It’s not even my birthday.”

Geoff spat in his face and shoved him away.

_ Whack! _

Other him stumbled slightly as Geoff decked him.

“Who’s a meek little lamb?” He sneered.

Other him wiped the spit off his face before he surged back toward him. He caught the second hook and gripped Geoff’s jaw. He shoved his hips against Geoff’s, pinning him back to the wall. He rolled his hips against him as Geoff tried to get his hand free to hit him again.

“There I am,” he laughed gleefully, “You really are me. That means you want this. You can admit it, we’re all us here.”

Geoff’s head was spinning with that bizarre string of statements. It only got worse when he kissed himself. _This is definitely a mental breakdown._ It bizarrely felt good though, distracting him a moment, his struggling weakening. Of course it felt good, he knew where to rub his tongue to make Geoff’s knees weak. 

_ Whack! _

The other him fell to the side revealing Jack with a baseball bat, breathing heavy with a bloody nose. Geoff got a real boner that definitely wasn’t from physical contact. 

“H-Hey, Jacky,” He huffed, “H-How’s it going?”

“Great, now mine has brain damage,” Jack’s voice spoke without her lips moving, “Though we’re probably better off for it.”

Geoff blinked heavily and watched Jack walk around behind herself and crouch by his still form. He shook his head, rubbing at his temples.

“What the fuck is happening right now??” He demanded.

“Alternate realities, I think,” his Jack answered, “Or else we’re sharing a mental breakdown.”

“If there’s an other you, then I guess it must be alternate realities,” Geoff muttered, “I was starting to doubt myself.”

Before anything else could be said or decided, the alarm went off. The other Jack looked up at them. 

“Go,” she grunted, “Let’s pray this is your reality.”

Jack gripped Geoff’s hand and tugged him away as he and the other Jack locked eyes. She smiled and waved before Geoff was pulled around a corner. 

~  


A mirror reflected your movements directly in front of you, so when you moved your right hand, it looked like the mirror’s left hand was moving. 

_ Whack! _

Jeremy grunted as the mirror’s right hook landed on his face. The mirror him also grunted as he took Jeremy’s right hook to his face. 

“Who are you, why do you have my face?!” They hissed at each other, “I asked you first, asshole!”

They got in identical fight stances, squinting at each other suspiciously. They were the same, not just their faces. Their bodies and movements were the same too. 

“Did I get drugged?” Mirror Jeremy questioned, “No, you hit me. You can’t be a hallucination.”

“We’re the same,” Jeremy grunted, “Like alternate versions.”

“The multiverse is real!” Mirror Jeremy concluded.

“Then which universe are we in, yours or mine?” Jeremy wondered.

“Does it really matter?” Mirror Jeremy scoffed, “We’re identical. Our universes must be too.”

“Are we fully identical?” Jeremy pressed, raising an eyebrow, “Maybe we’re different somehow?”

“It really doesn’t matter,” Mirror Jeremy insisted, “I don’t plan on sharing Ry.”

“Sharing Ry?” Jeremy grunted, frowning in confusion, “What does-?”

Mirror Jeremy kicked Jeremy right in the balls. Jeremy wheezed, bending over naturally. Then the other him kicked him in the ear, knocking him out.

~

A mirror is a reflective surface that shows exactly what is placed before it unless it is warped or broken in some way. Whatever actions you take in front of a mirror are shown back to you as you take them, directly in front of you. In conclusion, what Ryan Haywood was looking at was most assuredly not a mirror. Or at least not a regular one.

The knives were both in the right hands, a mirror image would show it in the left hand, directly in front of him. But the knives flipped back and forth identically. The two Vagabonds circled each other slowly. Ryan looked the other Vagabond up and down. He had to say, he was impressed. The man disguised as Vagabond looked the same as him. His body shape, his eye color, he even had his movements memorized.

“Who are you?” The other Vagabond questioned.

Ryan frowned. _That’s...my voice...isn’t it? How could he know my voice?_

“Take my face off,” Vagabond growled, “Show me who you are.”

_You’re wearing **my** mask, buddy._ Ryan never showed his face, but there was something weird going on. He took the mask off. Vagabond’s eyes widened.

“That’s...impossible,” he muttered, “Who are you? Why do you look like me?”

_Excellent question._ Ryan gestured at his face. _I showed you mine._ Vagabond hesitated before taking his mask off as well. They did look the same. _Identical._

“Did I get drugged?” Vagabond muttered, “Maybe I’ve completely lost it now. Are you actually mute?”

“No.”

“So we’re the same person,” Vagabond hummed, “We’re alternate versions of each other.”

“Seems like,” Ryan agreed.

“Sucks for you,” Vagabond grunted right before he lunged.

Ryan found it easy to dodge himself. He knew what himself would do, so he knew where to go to miss that. Vagabond swiped at him, pressing him, forcing him back as he dodged the knife. Vagabond’s face twisted further and further into a scowl with each new dodge. He was more aggressive than Ryan, it seemed. His swiping was a bit more wild too and he was doing little in the way of defense. Of course Ryan wasn’t counter attacking, so he didn’t really _need_ to defend.

“Come on, you fucking pussy,” Vagabond growled, “Stop running. You know only one of us makes it out of here.”

He was apparently more _verbally_ aggressive too. 

“Whose world is this, yours or mine?” He huffed.

“How should I know?” Ryan grunted.

“Then whose Jeremy is waiting for him, I wonder?” Vagabond sneered.

Ryan felt fire erupt in his bone marrow and he planted his feet, swiping at Vagabond as he lunged forward. Vagabond dodged, missing the foot Ryan slammed into his shin. He tripped, falling forward. Ryan brought his knee up and his elbow down, cracking the man’s nose and slamming his elbow into the back of his skull as he came down. Vagabond fell limp to the floor. 

Before Ryan could determine what to do about this or what the actual fuck was happening, a loud screeching alarm erupted through the warehouse. Well, it was time to leave. Hopefully this oddity would just take care of itself because he had to meet up with Jeremy and make sure he was alright.

Jeremy was at the meeting point, looking around as he waited for Ryan. Ryan frowned as he stopped in front of him. Jeremy frowned back at him. Or rather the alternate version of him frowned at him.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Alternate Jeremy demanded.

They seemed to realize that the other likely knocked out their alternates and immediately lunged at each other. Ryan ducked the hook and blocked the upper as he grabbed alternate Jeremy’s arm and shoved him against the shelf behind him.

“What did you do to him?!” Ryan snarled, “Where is he?!”

Alternate Jeremy shuddered.

“What will you do to me if I don’t tell you?” He huffed.

Ryan gripped his throat.

“I will end you,” He growled.

Alternate Jeremy’s eyelids fluttered and his face flushed. Ryan frowned. _Is he-?_

“You’re the same in both versions, huh?” Alternate Jeremy panted, “Come on, baby, fuck me right here. Give all the guards a show when they come to kill us. Let’s die together with your big cock deep in my ass.”

Ryan was utterly stunned, eyes wide. What the fuck was he supposed to say to that?? 

_Whose Jeremy is waiting for him, I wonder?_

Ryan blushed crimson. The alternate Ryan and Jeremy were _together._ Or at least fucked each other. Ryan didn’t know what to do with this information. Didn’t know what to do at all. Alternate Jeremy tugged on the neck of his shirt with his free hand, pulling it down to reveal several red cuts over his heart. _RH._ Ryan swallowed thickly and his cock started to harden in his jeans. _He marked him. Claimed him. God, he does look pretty with my initials on him. I knew he would._

“I thought you’d like that,” Alternate Jeremy laughed breathlessly, “You killed my owner, I’m gonna need a new one. Something tells me you’re up for it.”

He looked pointedly down at the bulge in Ryan’s jeans. Ryan tried to stop his eyes from tracking down alternate Jeremy’s body. He looks so much like him. He was struggling to focus. He couldn’t breathe, longing was surging forward, desperation. He could have this Jeremy. This Jeremy could belong to him. 

_But he isn’t actually Jeremy._ Ryan’s hand tightened.

“Where is he?” He repeated.

“He’s fine,” Alternate Jeremy grumbled, rolling his eyes, “The alarm went off before I could kill him.”

Ryan struggled not to visibly relax with the relief flooding through his system.

“Excuse you, that belongs to me,” His own voice snarled at him.

He could assume a gun was being pointed at him.

“Drop it, asswipe,” Jeremy growled from behind him.

Vagabond shifted.

“Let go of my property,” He ordered, “Or I shoot yours.”

No doubt he was now pointing his gun at Jeremy. Ryan released alternate Jeremy immediately.

“Watch who you’re calling property, buddy,” Jeremy sneered, “I don’t belong to anyone.”

Ryan moved toward him slowly so as not to startle Vagabond.

“Jeremy!” Vagabond barked, snapping his fingers.

Alternate Jeremy scurried to his side. 

“What did he do to you?!” Vagabond demanded.

“He was just trying to get information on his Jeremy,” Alternate Jeremy answered, “I tried to seduce him to find you, but he wouldn’t take the bait.”

“They’re together,” Jeremy suddenly spoke up.

Alternate Jeremy squinted at him.

“They’re _not_ together,” he grunted. 

He and Vagabond glanced at each other.

“Fucking weird, right?” He muttered.

“Maybe you control your sluttiness in this universe,” Vagabond suggested.

“Around you?” Alternate Jeremy snorted, “How??”

Ryan and Jeremy glanced at each other, red-faced. The sound of rushing footsteps cut off any more speculation about their alternate selves. There was a brief moment of quiet before the two pairs turned away from each other and hurried on their way. 

~

Gavin frowned at the mirror, leaning forward and squinting. He leaned back, eyes darting around, looking for the edges of it. There were no edges as far as he could tell and now that he was looking, he realized the backgrounds were different. He raised his hand and so did the mirror, but on the wrong side. They both lifted their right hands. 

“What in the bloody hell is going on??” He and the other him wondered aloud.

They circled around each other a moment. They were identical it seemed.

“Who are you?” Other Gavin asked, hand in his gun, “How’d you get to look just like me?” 

“You look like me!” Gavin protested, now putting his hand on his own gun, “Why’d you do that? Where’d you go? Must be a brilliant plastic surgeon.”

“I didn’t!” Other Gavin huffed, “You did! This is my face!”

He pointed at his face. Gavin squinted at him. _Was it possible he’d been brainwashed? Maybe he really thinks he is me?_

“What are you doing here?” He questioned.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Other Gavin countered.

“Hmph, we’ll say it at the same time,” Gavin offered, “1, 2, 3!”

“I’m waiting for Micool!” They spoke together.

They frowned at each other. Other Gavin pulled the gun.

“You’re not gettin’ anywhere near my boi,” he growled.

Gavin put his hands up.

“He’s _my_ boi!” He protested.

“Not a chance,” Other Gavin snorted, “Whatever bullshit you’ve been brainwashed to believe doesn’t matter, because he’d never be fooled by you.”

“Gavin?!” Michael’s voice shouted from two directions.

As the two Michaels stopped next to the two Gavins, the four of them stared at each other in confusion. Other Gavin lowered his gun. 

“What the fuck?” The two Michaels grunted, “They have our faces. Stop doing that! Stop saying what I’m saying!”

They squared off against each other, faces pulling into near identical snarls.

“Micool, don’t fight yourself,” Gavin muttered, tugging at Michael’s arm, “You’ll get weird mental problems.”

“I disagree,” Other Gavin grumbled, “Let’s kill them.”

He raised his gun again.

“No one just runs around with our faces,” He growled.

“Whoa, other you is an asshole,” Michael snorted.

“Watch it, buddy,” Other Michael warned, “Or he’ll decide to play with you first.”

Gavin and Michael glanced at each other, frowning. What did that mean? 

“Wait...is this alternate realities?” Other Gavin wondered, gun lowering slightly, “We’re nearly identical.”

Gavin hummed thoughtfully.

“Guess that could be it,” he offered, shrugging, “It would explain why we both said the same thing about what we were doing.”

“Our realities crossed on this mission,” Other Gavin concluded, “So of course we’re both here for the same reason.”

“Then whose reality is it?” Michael questioned, “Ours or yours?”

They looked between each other, considering. The other Michael and Gavin looked at each other and Gavin could see the silent conversation between them. He’d done it with Michael before. They were deciding something. They were deciding to kill them anyway, based on the way other Gavin tightened his grip on his gun. Michael shifted slightly firming his stance, seeming to signal that he’d also noticed this silent decision. 

The alarm in the warehouse went off, startling the four of them. Gavin and Michael struck, using the surprise to their advantage. Gavin kicked other Gavin in the wrist, sending the golden gun flying and spun a roundhouse to other Gavin’s head. He staggered, no doubt dealing with ringing ears and Gavin slammed his foot into his head again. Other Gavin fell to the ground, but rolled toward the gun. Gavin kicked it out of his reach and stomped on his face, wincing as he was knocked out.

“Yikes, that had to hurt,” he murmured.

He crouched down to turn other Gavin’s head to the side, so he wouldn’t choke on his own blood.

Meanwhile Michael tackled the fake him to the ground, slamming his head against the pavement. Fake him rolled them, slamming his fist into his face and Michael grunted before slamming his fist into his face right back. Fake him gripped his throat.

“That all you got?” Fake him taunted, “I feel bad for your Gavin if your stamina is this fucking low.”

Michael frowned. _What?_ He slammed his fist into fake him’s head again. Fake him could take a hit as well as he could, barely swaying as he continued choking the life out of him.

“G-Get o-off m-me!” He wheezed.

“Pathetic,” Fake him sneered.

Michael saw red, shoving and rolling them again, the fake him hanging onto his throat. He slammed fake him’s head into the pavement again, knocking him out and his hands dropped finally. Michael wobbled to his feet and wiped blood from his nose. Gavin looked over at him.

“What do we do about this?” He wondered.

“Y-You th-ink I fuck-ing know??” Michael huffed, spitting blood.

Gavin looked between the fake thems. 

“I guess...maybe leave them?” He suggested, hesitantly, “Alternate realities, maybe they’ll cross back over on their own?”

“We gotta catch up with the others anyway,” Michael rasped.

Gavin hesitated a moment before finally nodding and they hurriedly got into the van to drive to the meeting point.

~

The van was quiet for a moment as the six occupants fled the scene, all nervously shifting in their seats.

“So...anyone see anything, er, _weird_ in there?” Gavin murmured, clearing his throat.

“Weird?” Jeremy grunted, glancing at Ryan, “Like what?”

“Like, uh...” Gavin mumbled, looking at Michael.

“Like maybe an alternate version of themselves?” Geoff spoke up.

“Yes!” Gavin cried, “So there were other yous as well?!”

“Yes!” Geoff exclaimed, “The single craziest thing that’s ever happened to me! He looked just like me!”

“So there’s alternate versions of all of us,” Jeremy muttered, “Then...are we in our world or theirs?”

“I know how to tell!” Jack announced, “Alternate me said they didn’t tell b team where they were!”

“So if b team knows where we are, then we’re in our reality,” Geoff reasoned, “Call Trevor, he never asks questions.”

Jack put the phone on speaker.

“Yes, boss?” Trevor answered the phone.

“Trev, what are the main crew doing right now?” Jack questioned.

“Taking out Hardside,” Trevor replied easily, “Or that’s what you said you were doing.”

The six collectively sighed with relief.

“Thanks, buddy,” Jack muttered, “We’ll talk to you soon.”

She hung up the phone.

“Do you think they’ll just go back?” Gavin prompted, “We just sort of left them there.”

“I fucking hope so,” Geoff grumbled, shuddering, “Other me was fucking weird.”

He glanced at Jack.

“Other me was also weird,” Jeremy agreed, rubbing his chest absently before he quietly added, _“And_ he doesn’t fight fair.”

“Yeah, I heard about his weirdness,” Jack snorted.

Jeremy’s head jerked over to look at her.

“You heard??” He demanded.

He cleared his throat, blushing as he realized he’d sounded extremely frantic.

“H-Heard what exactly?” He questioned, sounding like he was trying to remain calm.

“Heard Alternate Jeremy does whatever Alternate Ryan wants,” Jack answered, “And they have each other’s initials over their hearts. I guess they’re together. So are the other me and Geoff.”

Geoff raised his eyebrows at her then the four looked to Gavin and Michael in the front seats.

“What are you lot gawking at??” Gavin huffed, “Other me didn’t say anything about that!”

Michael cleared his throat, shifting nervously.

“With context, I think maybe the fake me did mention it,” he admitted.

Gavin’s head whipped over to him.

“Really?!” He squawked.

“Of the three pairings, _yours_ is the most likely,” Ryan spoke up, startling the others.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Gavin shrieked.

The others snorted, trying to contain laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t even know where to begin with this. 😂👌


	2. Chapter 2

Ryan pulled his shirt over his head, pausing as he caught sight of his bare chest in the little mirror in his locker. Jack said the other Ryan had Jeremy’s initials on his heart as well. They’d claimed each other. Not just Ryan claiming Jeremy. Which implied alternate Ryan wasn’t forcing alternate Jeremy. Alternate Jeremy _wanted_ it. 

Ryan had begun to worry, in all honesty, that alternate Ryan was doing something very wrong to alternate Jeremy. He knew alternate Ryan wasn’t him, but...just the thought that any version of him could be hurting Jeremy was uncomfortable to say the least. He was glad when Jack had clarified their alternates both had initials.

He touched the bare skin of his chest. However...he couldn’t stop seeing “JD” carved over his heart. Couldn’t stop thinking. _If it’s possible in an alternate reality, is it possible in this one?_

“Hey, battle buddy, you alright?” Jeremy’s voice suddenly asked.

_ Clang! _

Ryan grunted as his knee slammed his locker door into the one next to it.

“Jesus, are you okay??” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Fine,” Ryan mumbled, rubbing his knee.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Jeremy muttered.

“Fine,” Ryan repeated as he pulled his clean shirt from his locker.

“Is...this about the alternate us?” Jeremy murmured, “They freaked you out, didn’t they?”

Ryan pulled his shirt on and shrugged.

“They freaked me out a bit,” Jeremy admitted as he opened his own locker, “I mean, not them being together. Just their whole vibe was... _weird.”_

Ryan nodded. He had to agree, they were... _intense._

“Do you think they just crossed back?” Jeremy asked as he pulled his own shirt off.

Ryan tried and failed not to glance at where the initials had been on alternate Jeremy as he pulled on his jacket. He shrugged.

“It _has_ been a week,” Jeremy pointed out, “Surely they’d have made another appearance by now, if they were still here.”

Ryan hummed noncommittally. If they were smart, they were biding their time. Alternate Ryan had been aggressive, but smart enough to know how to provoke him into taking a stand. 

“Did mirror Ryan mention me?” Jeremy asked suddenly, turning toward Ryan, “I-I mean his Jeremy. Did he say anything about him?”

Ryan hesitated, looking away in an effort not to stare openly at Jeremy’s bare chest.

“He...asked whose world it was,” he answered quietly, “And he wondered whose Jeremy was waiting for him.

“Oh, that’s...” Jeremy murmured, “Actually similar to something the mirror me said. He said it didn’t matter whose world it wasor if our worlds were exactly the same, because he wouldn’t share you.”

Ryan hesitantly looked over at Jeremy. He was staring down where he was twisting his shirt in his hands, face anxious.

“Listen...it, um...” he mumbled, “It matters to me. _You_ are my battle buddy. No one else fits where you do. Even if they were exactly like you, I would never accept anyone as a replacement for you.”

Ryan’s heart fluttered and he blushed. 

“You too,” he returned, voice barely above a whisper.

Jeremy looked up, blushing as they locked eyes and then looked away nervously.

“G-Good talk, buddy!” He proclaimed, pulling his shirt on, “A-Anyway, we better finish getting ready!”

Ryan’s lips twitched up in a tiny smile as Jeremy stumbled a bit on his way out. 

~

“Don’t you wonder, even a little bit?” Gavin questioned.

“Nope,” Michael answered not looking up, “Doesn’t matter.”

“But they look just like us!” Gavin protested, “What if they start pretending to be us?”

“Then we’ll kill them,” Michael grunted.

“Could you kill your alternate?” Gavin wondered.

“Yes, I could kill fake me easily,” Michael assured rather firmly.

Gavin hummed, resting his chin on his knee as he hugged his legs to his chest. He pictured coming face-to-face with alternate Michael and shuddered.

“What if you had to kill one of the others?” He asked quietly.

“They’re not us,” Michael grumbled, “I have no problem killing people who deserve it, whatever their faces look like.”

Gavin wasn’t sure he agreed. The idea of killing any of his family made his chest hurt. He knew they weren’t them, but they looked just like them. How could he shoot Michael’s pretty freckled face? Or Geoff’s kind eyes? It churned his stomach to even think about it. 

“Why do you care so much?” Michael muttered, “Didn’t you _just_ tell me the other day you didn’t care what they did?”

“Th-That was different!” Gavin huffed, “That was about other us being... _together._ I care about if they’re gonna be a threat!”

“Got it!” Michael announced, 

Gavin pressed their stopwatch on his phone.

“Minute, 24 seconds,” he read off his phone.

“Told you I could get it in under two!” Michael snorted.

He showed Gavin the little metal fidget puzzle in two pieces, grinning triumphantly. Gavin smiled softly.

“Yeah, you did,” he agreed, “I’m gonna have to scour the internet for a better one.”

“Bring it on, Free,” Michael challenged, “You haven’t stumped me yet!”

“I probably never will,” Gavin murmured.

Which was fine. He wasn’t really trying to. He just liked seeing Michael’s face light up when he finally got the puzzle. Michael always looked the best when he won something.

“Bet fake me sucks at puzzles,” Michael scoffed.

“Maybe he’s better than you,” Gavin laughed.

Michael put him in a headlock, grinding his knuckles against his scalp.

“Micool~!” Gavin whined.

“Take it back, you little shit!” Michael growled, “I’m better than that imposter!”

“You are!” Gavin squawked, “I was just kidding! You’re my boi, not him!”

“Damn right,” Michael snorted as he let him go.

Gavin scowled up at him.

“You’re so mean to me, boi!” He grumbled.

“I could be meaner,” Michael offered, grinning wickedly.

“No, thank you!” Gavin huffed.

Michael suddenly grabbed at his sides and Gavin squirmed, giggling.

“Nooo! You know I’m ticklish!” He howled.

“I know, it’s hilarious,” Michael laughed as Gavin fell back on the couch, trying to wiggle away, “Get back here, I’m not done with you!”

Gavin laughed, flailing as Michael leaned over him, trapping him against the couch.

“St-Stop it, stop!” He wheezed around laughter, batting at Michael’s hands.

“There’s nowhere for you to run, Gavvy,” Michael teased as he pinned Gavin’s wrists to the couch.

“Micool~!” Gavin whined.

“Ga~vin~!” Michael returned.

Gavin huffed, trying to catch his breath.

“Just say I win,” Michael ordered, grinning, “Then I’ll let you go.”

“You’re bloody competitive,” Gavin snorted, “You always gotta be winning, huh?”

“I _am_ always winning,” Michael argued.

Gavin shook his head, chuckling lightly. Michael’s grin dimmed and his eyes trailed down. He backed off, suddenly releasing Gavin and pulling away, clearing his throat. He did that a lot. Gavin wasn’t sure why, but any time they were physically close for longer than a few seconds, Michael would suddenly back away quickly like Gavin’s skin burned him. 

“Hey, Nice Dynamite, you ready?” Jeremy called into the living room.

“For what?” Gavin grunted, looking over the back of the couch at him.

“For the job, moron,” Michael answered as he stood, “Don’t you remember we have that weapons supplier to bump off?”

“I thought we were going nonlethal?” Gavin grumbled as he stood to follow them to the garage.

“We are, but _they_ probably aren’t,” Jeremy explained.

“Ohh, okay,” Gavin murmured.

“Do you pay attention to anything?” Michael muttered.

“Bet he pays attention to you,” Jeremy snorted under his breath.

Gavin didn’t know what that meant, but apparently it was bad since Michael slugged him for it. Truthfully, Gavin was damn tired and out of it the past week. He’d been researching alternate realities near constantly trying to figure out what happened. But more importantly, what might happen next.

~

“Geoff? You alright? Geoff?? _Geoff!”_

Geoff jerked out of his daze at the sound of Jack shouting at him.

“Huh?” He grunted, “What’s up?”

Jack frowned at him.

“You were thinking about your alternate again,” She accused.

“He made out with me, how could I not think about him?” Geoff snorted.

He was lying again, actually. It wasn’t _his_ alternate he kept thinking about, it was Jack’s. Everyone but Jack had agreed the alternates were the bad or straight up evil version of them. She said she wasn’t sure, that hers had seemed mostly okay, though aggressive and possibly a bit crazy.

If other Geoff was with her, how could she be happy? Other Geoff was a crazy narcissist. There was no way he could be treating her right. Geoff loved Jack, he could admit that to himself, even if he’d never tell her. So the thought that there was a universe where he was an asshole to her...he hated it. He hated the thought of Jack being lonely and mistreated, even if it was an alternate version of her. 

“Geoff, don’t worry,” Jack soothed, “I’m not gonna let him hurt you again.”

_It’s not me I’m worried about._

“I appreciate that, but I’m fine,” he assured her, “It’s just weird is all. The idea that I’m attracted to myself. It’s fucking weird.”

“Yeah, I have to admit, it is weird,” Jack agreed, “The idea that you, of all people, like yourself more than your family is crazy to me. You’re just such a nice, warm guy. I mean, a bit ruthless and savage sometimes, but all around good at your core.”

Geoff blushed, his heart fluttering as he looked away.

“You are too, good at your core,” he mumbled, “So’s everyone in our family. It’s why I love you assholes so much.”

“You old softie,” Jack teased, slugging his arm, “I’m gonna tell the others you said that. Ruin your tough guy act.”

“Sh-Shut it,” he huffed, shoving her away, “I don’t act tough, I _am_ tough.”

“Yeah, whatever you say, _Kingpin,”_ Jack snorted, “Anyway, we better get moving. The others are probably waiting.”

“Right.”

Geoff straightened his suit jacket as Jack exited the room, but deflated a bit when the door closed. He ground his palms into his eyelids as the image of alternate Jack’s sad smile haunted him. _Stop thinking about her. She’s not your Jack._ He sighed heavily. _**This** Jack isn’t even your Jack. _

~~~

Jeremy skidded around a corner, sliding on the smooth concrete floor. He may have crashed and burned if he hadn’t been caught around the waist by Ryan. He gripped at Ryan’s jacket as he wobbled.

“Th-Thanks, buddy,” he huffed.

“Anything for you, darlin’,” Ryan answered.

“What?” Jeremy grunted.

_Why’s he not wearing his mask?_ Ryan kissed him. Jeremy froze in wide-eyed shock. _He’s kissing me. He’s kissing me!_ Jeremy’s eyelids fluttered. _Oh god, he’s kissing me._ Jeremy felt like he was melting, heat shuddering through him from Ryan’s skilled tongue in his mouth. Ryan’s hand ran down his back and then roughly squeezed his ass, startling him. Jeremy’s brain snapped back online. _Wait. Ryan’s not supposed to be here. This isn’t my Ryan._

_Whack!_

Mirror Ryan and Jeremy both stumbled as Jeremy decked him. 

“What are you doing here?!” Jeremy demanded, “Where’s Ryan?!”

“Fucking Christ, I keep forgetting how strong you are,” Mirror Ryan grunted, rubbing his jaw, “How the hell should I know where that cuck is?”

_ Wham! _

He wheezed as Jeremy’s boot slammed into his guts.

“Ffffu-ck,” he groaned.

“Keep talking shit about my battle buddy and I’ll bury you, asshole,” Jeremy growled.

“The fuck is a battle buddy?” Mirror Ryan grumbled, rubbing his stomach.

Further proof the mirrored versions were shit. Mirror Ryan stepped toward him and for some reason, Jeremy’s rationality flew out the window and he stumbled backward instead of raising his fists to fight. The reason was that it was _Ryan_ stalking towards him. Ryan’s eyes staring into his soul. Ryan’s lips quirked in a smirk. Jeremy bumped into the wall behind him and mirror Ryan leaned down, bracing his hand on it.

“I forgot how fun you were to pursue,” he mused, “You fought so hard at first. But I know your secret, darlin’.”

Jeremy swallowed nervously. He wasn’t sure what the man meant, so it was more than a little unnerving. _Secret?? What secret??_ Mirror Ryan cupped his jaw and brushed his thumb over Jeremy’s bottom lip. Jeremy’s mouth dropped open and he flushed. Before he could grasp what the hell that meant or what he should do about it, mirror Ryan jammed three fingers in his mouth. He choked, gripping at mirror Ryan’s arm as the fingers thrust back and forth over his tongue. 

“Come on, suck, bitch,” Ryan growled, “Suck them like they’re my cock, you little whore.”

Jeremy sucked and groaned, knees weakening. 

“You haven’t sucked cock before, have you?” Ryan snorted.

Jeremy’s flush darkened and he whimpered. _I’m trying!_

“Shh, I’ll teach you, baby,” Ryan whispered, “I like teaching little baby whores how to be proper bitches for me.”

He pressed close to Jeremy, rubbing his hips against him.

“Can’t you feel how much I like it?” He sneered in Jeremy’s ear.

Jeremy could and wow, what the fuck?! How long had he been hiding that monster in his pants?! This reminded Jeremy suddenly that this was not Ryan. He shoved mirror Ryan away, choking and gasping as his mouth was freed. He blushed crimson, wiping drool from his lips and ignoring the fact his mouth had watered when he felt mirror Ryan’s dick against him. _Oh god, I really am just like mirror me! I’m a total slut! Kill me!_

Mirror Ryan moved back toward him and Jeremy pulled his taser.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Mirror Ryan snarled.

Jeremy dared. Mirror Ryan seized as the two barbs stuck into him. 

“Y-You wh-ore!” He growled, struggling to reach for the wires.

Jeremy let go and dashed away from the man. He needed to find his Ryan. What if mirror Jeremy was seducing him again? Jeremy frowned at himself. No, what if he’s hurting him, that’s what matters.

~

“Ry, come on, quick!” Jeremy hissed suddenly appearing next to Ryan.

He grabbed Ryan’s hand and started dragging him off. Ryan stumbled after him, trying to keep up. _What happened? The plan went to shit? Again? Probably._ Jeremy dragged him into an office type room, shoving him in and glancing around before closing and locking the door. Once he turned fully toward Ryan, Ryan could tell this was not his Jeremy. Alternate Jeremy grinned at him.

“Did you miss me?” He cooed.

Ryan’s hand flitted toward a knife.

“Relax, I didn’t do anything to your Jeremy,” Alternate Jeremy assured him, “I haven’t even seen him. I came just for you.”

He took his shirt off and Ryan struggled to keep his eyes up. Or rather he just straight up failed to do so. Alternate Jeremy had his name carved across his ribs. His full name. On both sides. Other than that, there were curly cuts like vines and Ryan’s initials like flowers blooming all over him. He came toward Ryan who stumbled back nervously, hitting a desk behind him. 

“What do you think?” Alternate Jeremy sneered, “I got all prettied up for you.”

_Fuck,_ is what Ryan thought.

“Wanna see the best part?” Alternate Jeremy laughed.

Ryan, apparently completely out of his mind, actually nodded. Alternate Jeremy turned, showing him his bare, unmarked, but heavily scarred back. 

“I saved plenty of skin for you to mark up,” he whispered over his shoulder, “A blank canvas, just for you. It’s all yours.”

_Oh god._ Alternate Jeremy’s ass pressed against Ryan’s crotch and Ryan’s hand ran up his back. _Mine, he said. He came for me. He wants me._ He flicked open a knife as he envisioned the patterns he could leave on Jeremy’s skin and alternate Jeremy shuddered. Ryan gripped his hair and yanked him back, pressing the knife against his throat.

“Fuck yeah, baby,” Alternate Jeremy groaned, “Should I pretend I’m a desperate hostage?”

He shuddered again and Ryan grunted as his ass rubbed against his boner. _Fuck._

“Don’t hurt me, please!” Alternate Jeremy whimpered, “Please, I’ll do whatever you want, sir!”

Ryan squeezed his eyes closed. _Fuck._ Ryan was fucking _crazy_ about role play. Of course this Jeremy knew that. His Ryan probably had him role play all the time. _His Ryan..._ His Ryan had to have cut him up. The letters were too neat to have been done by alternate Jeremy on himself. They had planned this together which meant his Ryan... Ryan’s eyes snapped back open and he pressed the knife harder against alternate Jeremy’s throat.

“Your Ryan, he’s with my Jeremy isn’t he?” He growled.

_“Your_ Jeremy?” Alternate Jeremy snorted, “He isn’t yours, is he? I bet he doesn’t look at you like that at all.”

“You know what I meant!” Ryan snapped, “He’s with him, isn’t he?!”

“Oh, yeah,” Alternate Jeremy laughed, “He’s probably already inside him by now.”

Ryan slapped his hand over his mouth and pinched his nose. Alternate Jeremy struggled a bit, but the knife on his throat drew blood, stilling his movements. He struggled a bit more naturally when his body ran out of oxygen until he slumped. Ryan dropped him and his body gasped in air as Ryan hurried out the door. No way in hell was another Ryan going to have Jeremy before he did. They nearly slammed into each other as they each rounded a corner.

“You’re okay!” Jeremy exclaimed, hugging him tightly, “Did you see mirror Jeremy?! Mirror Ryan was here and he-!”

He halted, immediately backing several steps away from Ryan, face crimson.

“Um, w-we fought,” he mumbled.

“What did he do to you?” Ryan questioned, voice quiet and cold.

“I-I’d rather not say,” Jeremy squeaked.

Ryan was going to kill himself. 

“Wait, if mirror us are here, are the others too?!” Jeremy demanded.

He grabbed Ryan’s hand and they sprinted off toward the others. They were meant to wait for the signal, but if everyone else was being accosted by their alternates, the plan had gone up in flames.

~

“Hey, boi, I need help!” Gavin chirped.

“With loading crates?” Michael grunted around the screwdriver in his mouth.

“Something weird happened,” Gavin explained, “I think I saw your alternate!”

Michael paused, turning to look back at him. He spat the screwdriver into his hand.

“Seriously?” He questioned, “Did you-?”

He halted. _That’s not Gavin._

“-see the others?” Fake Gavin guessed, grinning.

Then he tackled Michael, sending him stumbling back into the wall. Michael grunted and snapped off a kidney shot that had fake Gavin staggering sideways.

“Shit!” He hissed, “That hurt, boi!”

“Don’t call me that,” Michael snarled, “You’re not my boi.”

Fake Gavin sent a roundhouse at his face that he ducked. He tackled fake Gavin with much more success, slamming him to the concrete floor, his face hitting it with a smack. He landed over him, pinning him to the floor.

“How forward,” fake Gavin grunted, “You gonna fuck me in the middle of a job, boi?”

He pushed his ass up against Michael’s crotch. Michael grunted, shoving him back down and pinning him with a knee on his lower back. 

“Awe, come on, I know you want it,” fake Gavin huffed, squirming.

Michael got his hands behind his back.

“Come on, take what you want, boi,” fake Gavin growled as Michael held his wrists in one hand, “Beat me into submission, hold me down, and fuck me like you want to.”

Michael jammed the screwdriver against his neck.

“Where is the real Gavin?!” He growled.

“Fucking you by now, I think,” fake Gavin groaned, “And I am really Gavin! We’re alternate versions!”

“You are not him,” Michael insisted, “And you never could be. You are _nothing_ like him.”

“Why would I want to be?” Fake Gavin snorted, “He’s clearly a fucking pussy.”

“Watch it,” Michael warned, pressing harder, “No one talks shit about my boi.”

“You pathetic cuck,” fake Gavin huffed, “You want me. You dream about me, you long for me, you want me so bad you can taste me. I know you, Michael Jones, you’re in love with me.”

_“You_ are not him,” Michael insisted, “And I am not him. But even if I was in love with Gavin, you are not him. You are not my fucking boi.”

“Maybe not, since I know your little secret,” Fake Gavin sneered, “Does he know your secret, boi?”

Michael stiffened. _Right. He has a me in his world. A me that he fucks. A me that’s seducing Gavin right now!_ Michael gripped fake Gavin’s hair and slammed his head into the concrete, knocking him out. He staggered to his feet, stumbling as he slid on the smooth concrete. _Shit shit shit!_ He crashed to the floor, landing hard on his shoulder before rolling back to his feet. _Fuck fuck fuck!_

~

Gavin shoved the crate in the van with a sigh and turned to grab the next. _Almost over._ He squawked in surprise to find someone else there.

“Micool!” He huffed, “You bloody scared the bejesus out of me!”

“Bejesus?” Michael snorted, “What age are you?”

“Um.”

Gavin looked up and away, thinking. What year was it? _I’m too bloody tired for this._

“You’re empty-headed,” Michael mused, “That’s kind of fucking cute, actually.”

“It is?” Gavin grunted.

Michael pushed him. Gavin stumbled into the van, falling on his ass onto the floor of it. He grunted as his back slammed into the weapons crates behind him. 

“Ow!” He whined, “Micool!”

Michael climbed into his lap. _Isn’t Michael supposed to be working on the electrical stuff?_ Michael’s hands wrapped around Gavin’s throat. _Ah. This isn’t Michael._ Gavin gripped at other Michael’s wrists, trying to pull his hands off. 

“You look just as cute when I’m choking you out,” other Michael sneered, “Look at you fuckin’ squirm.”

_What?_ Gavin was struggling to get his head to work right. He was losing oxygen fast and he was already so damn tired. He needed to get away from Michael. But he didn’t want to hurt him. It was Michael, his boi. His boi. How would he get his boi to stop bothering him? _Bare skin._ Gavin shoved his hands up other Michael’s shirt. Other Michael jolted, hands loosening.

“Y-You like it in this world too?” He huffed, “Like when I fuckin’ choke you, baby? You want me to fuck you while you fuckin’ pass out?”

_I’m sorry, **what**_ _ **?** Oh, right. Other us are together and they have sex. _Gavin forgot about that part. _They hurt each other during sex? Is that normal?_ That didn’t seem normal to Gavin. Not that he would know a lot about sex. Especially between two men.

But anyway, touching other Michael seemed to be working in getting him to let go, so Gavin groped at his chest. Other Michael shuddered and released his throat to grab his hands and press them up to his own throat. Gavin tilted his head as he squeezed. Other Michael spasmed, grinding down on Gavin’s lap. _He likes this? Does my boi like this too? Wait a minute._ If other Michael was _here,_ then that meant other Gavin was probably with his boi. 

_ Whack! _

Other Michael and Gavin both grunted as Gavin slammed his head into other Michael’s. 

“You fucking dumbass!” Other Michael growled.

Gavin grabbed his hoodie and shoved before he could do anything, sending them tumbling out of the back of the van. Other Michael smacked against the concrete.

_ Whack! _

Other Michael’s head whipped sideways from Gavin socking him.

_Whack! Whack! Whack!_

Other Michael went limp. Gavin gasped in air, clutching at his pounding heart as he stumbled to his feet. That was Michael’s face beaten by his own fist. _No, no!_ His boi was elsewhere and in trouble. He had to go help him. He looked around wildly. He couldn’t remember which way Michael was. Luckily, Michael slid around a corner, nearly tackling Gavin.

“What did he do to you?!” He demanded.

“He ch-choked me,” Gavin rasped, “Y-You’re okay, boi! I-I was s-so worried.”

Michael looked at his alternate on the floor. He looked extremely relieved for some reason. 

“We need to...to get to the others,” Gavin whispered hoarsely, “They c-could be in trouble.”

He grabbed Michael’s sleeve and started off one direction.

“Wrong way,” Michael grunted, pulling him a different way.

“Oops.”

Gavin stumbled a bit as they hurried toward the others.

~

“Hello, darlings.”

Geoff stiffened next to Jack as the other them stepped out. They were meant to be meeting with a weapons supplier that was likely going to turn on them. But based on the bloody bat in other Jack’s hand, the weapons dealer wasn’t going to be a problem any more. She gave the two of them a weak smile. The other Geoff grinned at him.

“Looking good,” he joked, winking.

Geoff blushed as he recalled other Geoff’s whole deal. Jack stepped forward, moving to block Geoff with her body.

“Don’t even think about it, creep,” she growled, “You’re never touching him again.”

“Perhaps you’d prefer I touch you?” Other Geoff offered, smirking.

Jack hoisted her own bat onto her shoulder. 

“Just try it, buddy,” she sneered.

Geoff glanced over his shoulder at the sound of running feet. Michael and Gavin appeared first, followed closely by Jeremy and Ryan. They all looked thoroughly harassed, which probably meant they’d run into their alternates as well. Other Geoff looked furious as Geoff’s family lined up to either side of him. Jack stepped back, no longer needing to threaten him when they had numbers on their side.

“Great,” other Geoff growled, “Good to know I’m working with fucking amateurs.”

“Watch it, Kingpin,” other Ryan grumbled as he and other Jeremy joined them, “It’s not my fault the little whore had a fucking taser.”

“Mine reverse seduced me,” other Jeremy huffed.

“You did _what?!”_ Jeremy demanded, turning to Ryan.

Ryan shook his head frantically, gesturing in wild denying motions.

“In fairness to me,” other Gavin spoke up as he and other Michael arrived, “Mine was a fucking idiot.”

“Oi!” Gavin shouted, “Watch it!”

“Well, I was having a great time until I woke up unfucked,” other Michael grumbled.

“The hell does that even mean?” Michael muttered.

“Seriously, you’re all whores and amateurs!” other Geoff snapped, “You can’t even distract the person who’s weak to you?? Fucking Christ.”

“They’re not weak to any of you,” Geoff argued, “They’re not the same as your versions.”

“Coulda fooled me,” other Ryan snorted.

“Sh-Shut up!” Jeremy hissed.

“What, don’t you want your Ryan to know?” Other Ryan sneered, “I bet you’ll be better off for it if he knows your little weakness.”

Ryan had to grab Jeremy to stop him from launching at other Ryan. 

“Hey, Vagabond’s got a point,” other Gavin piped up, “We should just tell them their secrets. That’ll certainly distract them. Hey, Gavin, did you know Michael has-?”

Michael tackled him to the floor before he could finish his statement. The room exploded, the two sides launching at each other. Geoff couldn’t track the other fights as he was faced with other Jack swinging a bat at him. Her face was pulled into a scowl. 

“Just go down,” she muttered, “Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Why don’t you want to hurt me?” Geoff asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I love you,” other Jack grumbled, swinging again, “Regardless of what world I’m in.”

Geoff dodged her bat again.

“I’m not him,” he argued, “Just like you aren’t her.”

“Do you _want_ me to hurt you?” Other Jack snorted.

“No, I want to understand,” Geoff muttered, “Why do you love him? He’s clearly terrible to you.”

“You don’t know that,” other Jack protested, “You’ve only seen one part of him. The part that comes out when he sees himself.”

“You told Jack he only loves himself,” Geoff countered.

“He doesn’t need to love me to be good to me,” other Jack insisted, “Stop running away.”

Geoff noticed suddenly that he’d been backed nearly ten feet away from the others. She swung and he caught the bat, a shockwave sparking up his arm from the force she’d put behind her swing. She winced, clearly aware that that had to have hurt.

“I don’t want to hurt you either,” Geoff admitted, “You don’t seem all that bad to me. Why don’t you just work with us?”

“I told you,” other Jack growled, “I love him.”

Geoff yanked her forward by the bat, gripping her throat.

“That love will get you killed,” he whispered.

“I’m counting on it,” she breathed.

_ Whack! _

She fell from Geoff’s hit to her temple. Geoff’s heart ached at the sight of Jack knocked out on the floor. _No, don’t. Jack is fighting him._ He looked over his family fighting with each other. They were unsurprisingly well matched when no one had the advantage of surprise or rage from the fear of their partner getting hurt. Geoff sighed and pulled his gun, pointing it at the ceiling.

_ Bang! _

The five pairs halted, cautiously looking around at him. Geoff stepped over other Jack and walked toward them.

“Well, me, I think we both know what I’m going to say,” he muttered, holstering his gun, “So let’s not insult each other. Stand down everyone.”

He unclipped his holster and handed it over to Jack.

“Stand down,” the other him told his crew.

The alternate crew started to back off. Then Jeremy squeaked suddenly and very loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. He was red faced as Ryan pulled him around behind him, scowling in other Ryan’s face.

“I will teach you to keep your hands to yourself, _Vagabond,”_ he growled.

“That belongs to me now,” other Ryan sneered, “You can’t give him what he needs. He needs me. Don’t you, little pup?”

“Vagabond,” other Geoff warned tightly.

“No, that’s mine,” other Ryan growled.

“In your fucking dreams, whore,” Ryan spat.

He genuinely shocked the hell out of his crew who were so used to near complete silence and practically no crude language or emotion from him. Other Jeremy tapped other Ryan on the shoulder. Other Ryan bent to put his ear near his mouth. He whispered something that blanked other Ryan’s face completely. He looked much more similar to their Ryan like that. He stepped back.

“Ankle holster,” other Geoff ordered Geoff.

“Geoff!” Jack hissed as Geoff unclipped his ankle holster.

“Don’t worry about it,” Geoff muttered, handing the ankle holster over, “There’s worse things. Take care of her.”

He jerked his chin at other Jack. 

“I’m not leaving her with you,” other Geoff growled.

“Me or her,” Geoff answered, raising his eyebrows.

Other Geoff scowled at him and glanced at other Jack.

“You,” he finally grumbled.

Geoff stepped past the unseen line between the crews. He could practically see the invisible barrier breaking where he passed through. He could feel his crew’s eyes, their hearts beating with worry as the other him put an arm around his waist and guided him from the warehouse, their own alternates following with anxious looks back at them. 

Geoff couldn’t look back, because he knew other Jack was waking up now. She was watching them leave her behind. She was seeing that the other him valued himself above her. Her heart was no doubt shattering as she watched them go. 

_That_ was what had Geoff blinking away tears. Because his family would be fine without him. They had each other and he was doing this for them. They knew that. They didn’t question his orders or follow after him because they trusted him as he trusted them. They would be fine and maybe even hatch some scheme to rescue him. But the other Jack?

She was alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And once again we meet the Slut Club which is the only acceptable name for the mirror crew (you can thank Caliope for that).


	3. Chapter 3

Michael sighed heavily as he hung up the phone. _Well, that’s all the hotels downtown._ He got up to go through the door between his and Gavin’s offices. 

“Hey, boi-“ he started as he opened the door.

He halted as he saw what was on one of Gavin’s monitors. _Porn._ Just straight up gay porn. Gavin turned toward him, in his usual pose, feet on his chair and knees to his chest.

“I’m still working,” he promised, “What’s up?”

“Uh, no one’s seen us in any hotels downtown either,” Michael muttered, “Why the hell are you watching porn right now?”

“Our alternates,” Gavin admitted, “Alternate you likes getting choked. And choking. I was curious.”

“I think your alternate likes it too,” Michael snorted as he came forward, “And worse. He was talking about getting beaten. Where am I looking next?”

“Downtown was the last zone,” Gavin mumbled, sighing. 

“Seems like they just disappeared after we saw them,” Michael grunted.

“Hmph, we’ll see,” Gavin grumbled, “Once we get the back recordings on sixty-sixth.”

Michael looked at the bruises on Gavin’s neck. He wanted to fucking throttle fake him for touching his boi. For trying to fuck him. 

“Do you like it?” Gavin suddenly asked, looking up at him.

“What, choking?” Michael clarified.

Gavin nodded. Michael hesitated. He did, but he preferred not to bring up fucking with Gavin. It made it difficult to ignore how bad he wanted him. 

“Yeah, I like it,” he muttered, “It’s a pretty common kink actually.”

“Do you think Ryan and Jeremy like it too?” Gavin pressed, sitting up straighter.

_Ryan and Jeremy?? Why the fuck does it matter if they fucking like it??_

“Maybe,” Michael grunted, trying not to sound how suddenly annoyed he was, “Why does that matter?”

“I wanna talk to someone about it,” Gavin explained, “But you don’t like talking about that stuff.”

_ Ding! _

Gavin turned to check the security network ping while Michael considered what he said. What if Ryan or Jeremy were into Gavin and the talk went... _somewhere?_ Gavin sighed, sitting back.

“Where are they?” He mumbled, sounding frustrated.

He looked exhausted.

“How about I watch security and you go home and sleep?” Michael offered.

Gavin hesitated.

“Okay,” he agreed, “But call me if anything comes up.”

He stood and started shuffling to the door.

“Oh, and I-I can talk to you about your, uh, research,” Michael blurted, “N-No problem.”

“Oh, okay,” Gavin answered brightly, “We can talk later then. See ya, boi.”

“Yeah, see ya,” Michael returned.

Gavin left and Michael dropped his head into his hands. _What the fuck are you doing, Jones??_

~

“Hey, lil’ J, I’m headed home,” Gavin informed Jeremy as they started to pass in the hallway, “Nowhere left to search for now. Let Ry know, will ya?”

“Can do,” Jeremy agreed.

He headed for the gym where Ryan was beating the shit out of a punching bag. He paused, breathing heavily and dropped his forehead against the bag. Jeremy hesitantly approached him as his hands splayed over the bag on either side. His eyes were closed.

“Hey, battle buddy,” Jeremy greeted.

Ryan jumped, whacking his knee against the bag. 

“You alright?” Jeremy asked.

“Fine,” Ryan grunted, stepping back from the bag.

“Gavin says we’re just waiting now,” Jeremy informed him, “No more places to check yet.”

Ryan nodded. He was refusing to look at Jeremy. Whatever happened with the mirror versions was fucking him up.

“Hey, um, about what mirror me said,” Jeremy mumbled, “About you reverse-seducing him.”

“I didn’t,” Ryan hastened to reaffirm.

“So he was just lying?” Jeremy pressed.

Ryan rubbed his hand over his knuckles, hesitating a moment.

“I pulled a knife,” he finally admitted quietly, “I suspect that is foreplay for them.”

“Oh,” Jeremy muttered, “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Um, about mirror you and you stepping up. You know I would normally kick your ass for suggesting I can’t defend myself, but he’s...different. He’s you, you know? It’s hard to-“

He blushed brightly.

“I-I mean, it’s _d-difficult_ to fight him,” he quickly corrected, “So thanks.”

_Wow, fucking smooth operator, Dooley, you fucking dumbass._

“You’re welcome,” Ryan murmured.

“Anyway, d-do you think we’re the same as them physically?” Jeremy wondered.

_Do you have a monster cock too? Why am I wondering about his monster cock??_

“Show me your back,” Ryan suggested.

Jeremy pulled his shirt over his head and turned around. 

“Different scars,” Ryan offered.

Jeremy turned back around.

“How...do you know that?” He asked.

Ryan avoided eye contact.

“He took his shirt off,” he muttered, “And showed me his back.”

“To seduce you,” Jeremy grunted, confused.

Ryan cleared his throat, rubbing his hand over his knuckles again.

“He...offered to let me cut his back,” he explained.

“Oh.”

Mirror them were fucking weird. But...Jeremy had never been cut purposely like that. Maybe it wasn’t as weird as he thought it was. He tried to picture it, but couldn’t. 

“Was that all?” Ryan grunted.

He was still avoiding looking at Jeremy.

“Uh, yeah, that’s it,” Jeremy answered, “Anyway, I guess I’m headed home. I’ll see you later, battle buddy.”

Ryan nodded his head and went back to beating the punching bag. Jeremy moved for the door, pulling his shirt back over his head. _Is he as good at kissing as mirror Ryan?_ Jeremy stumbled a bit and blushed badly. _Get your shit together and stop being weird!_

~

Jack didn’t really know how to deal with alternate her. She wasn’t exactly a prisoner like Geoff, but she wasn’t exactly free to leave either. Jack wasn’t going to let the alternate crew get an advantage in numbers. 

Alternate wouldn’t say shit about where the _her_ crew was holed up. Jack had asked a million ways in the hours she’d been stuck with them. Jack sighed in front of the room she was keeping Alternate in. _Maybe we give it one more go._ She stepped in with the sandwich she’d made her and some water. Alternate took them and ate quickly and quietly. Jack waited until she was drinking the water.

“Why won’t you just tell me where they are?” She asked her, “Don’t you want to go back to your boyfriend?”

“Not really,” Alternate admitted, “I was replaced. I’ll be ignored if I go back now.”

“But you still care enough not to give him up,” Jack muttered.

“Of course.”

They stared at each other a moment, clearly both trying to figure the other out.

“You’re not in love with him, are you?” Alternate spoke quietly.

Jack sighed, looking away.

“I love him very deeply,” she murmured, “But I can’t give him what he needs.”

“You think he really cares that much about sex?” Alternate snorted, “I’ve seen him, seen the way he looks at us. He won’t care that you’re asexual.”

“It’s not that,” Jack dismissed.

“Then what else?” Alternate pressed.

“Shouldn’t you know already?” Jack grumbled. 

“We’re not exactly the same,” Alternate pointed out, “I mean, look how different the two of them are.”

Jack sighed again.

“You know, the others all called their alternates their evil versions,” she commented, “I think somehow we got switched. I think I belong with your crew. I’m obviously the evil one.”

“You don’t know me that well,” Alternate snorted.

“Yeah, I guess not,” Jack agreed, “But I know _me_ and I know Geoff deserves better.”

“Not to get in our business like this,” Alternate muttered, “But shouldn’t you let _him_ decide who he deserves?”

“Don’t make sense at me,” Jack grumbled, “I’m trying to not like you.”

Alternate laughed and Jack smiled softly. _Who’d have thought I might somewhat get along with myself of all people?_

~

Other Ryan was eyeballing Geoff more than he was comfortable with. He looked pissed off and hungry. Other Jeremy had whispered a lot in his ear on the drive to where they were holed up, but then Geoff was left alone with him. Other Ryan seemed to be his warden for the time being. Geoff was not thrilled about it. A Ryan who was over-emotional and reacted aggressively constantly? Haha. No.

“You letting anyone on the ride?” Other Ryan spoke up after a long while of just staring at him.

“S-Sorry?” Geoff stammered.

“I want to fuck you,” other Ryan clarified, “Are you fully open for business or you only letting yourself in?”

Geoff blushed crimson. Jesus, why were their alternates so fucking horny?? 

“You look cute in red, Kingpin,” Ryan muttered, “I want to fuck you up when you look at me like that. Gag your stupid, running mouth so you shut the fuck up for once.“

“I’m not him, buddy,” Geoff grumbled, avoiding eye contact, “And this is almost weirder than me being attracted to myself.”

“How about we just pretend I’m touching you and you don’t like it?” Ryan suggested, his hand going to his belt, “I like role-playing.”

“Wh-What??” Geoff sputtered, as Ryan took his cock out, “Jesus! What the fuck is that?! That’s not human!”

Ryan smirked at him as he rubbed his hand up his shaft.

“Tell me to leave you alone,” he murmured, “Tell me you don’t want it.”

_Maybe he’ll stop fucking staring at me if I play along?_

“L-Leave me alone,” Geoff mumbled, “I don’t want you.”

Ryan’s eyes closed and he puffed out a tiny moan. Actually he was kinda... _pretty._

“Order me to stop,” he grunted.

“I-I order you to stop,” Geoff muttered.

“No,” Ryan groaned, “Y-You have to listen to me, I’m in charge now. But if you’re a good boy, I-I’ll let you come. Open your mouth.”

“No way am I drinking your gross jizz,” Geoff grunted automatically even though he was too far to anyway.

Ryan shuddered, but his eyes stayed closed.

“Do what you’re told,” he growled.

“No, fuck you,” Geoff mumbled, trying to stop watching Ryan jerk himself off.

“I’m in charge of you, you belong to me now,” Ryan huffed, “You do what I tell you or I make you. Be a good boy and tell me you understand.”

“I-I understand, sir,” Geoff grumbled.

“C-Call me boss,” Ryan panted sounding fucking _wrecked._

“Yes, boss,” Geoff grumbled.

Ryan shouted, slamming his fist into the wall as he came, splattering across the concrete floor. He leaned back against the wall, slumping a bit as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes cracked open slowly and he focused in on Geoff who was beet red and trying to avoid eye contact. 

“You lick it off the floor, I’ll give you a handjob,” Ryan muttered breathlessly.

“If I lick it off the floor, I better get a blowjob at least,” Geoff scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Alright, I accept,” Ryan agreed, “Clean up the mess you made, whore and I’ll suck your pathetic little dick.”

Geoff could not believe he actually considered it. These alternate versions were seriously fucking him up.

“Not my mess,” he pointed out.

“Would you prefer _I_ licked it up and you sucked my dick?” Ryan suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“Do I look like a slut??” Geoff wondered wildly, “Am I inviting this somehow??”

“Are you victim blaming yourself?” Ryan snorted.

He put himself away and started wiping up the floor when Jeremy came in.

“Kingpin’s ready,” he announced, “So we can head out now. That is if you’re still up for it.”

He raised his eyebrows at where Ryan was wiping the floor.

“Can’t help it, he looks just like King,” Ryan grumbled, “But meeker. He called me boss.”

Geoff wanted to die.

“Oh wow, finally got that fantasy fulfilled, then,” Jeremy laughed.

Ryan stood and tossed the tissues before coming over to put his arms around Jeremy.

“Can’t wait to fill another one tonight,” he mused, rubbing his nose against Jeremy’s.

“I know, I’m actually excited too,” Jeremy giggled, put his arms around Ryan’s neck, “I wasn’t sure at first, but now I wanna see him with your initials too.”

_What the fuck??_

“I wanna see you covered in his blood,” Ryan breathed, backing Jeremy against the wall, “You’re so damn pretty when you play.”

“Guess we’ll be double pretty,” Jeremy murmured breathlessly.

“You’re gonna get me hard before we get there, baby,” Ryan groaned, leaning down to kiss Jeremy’s neck.

“I’m already hard,” Jeremy huffed, “Let’s go! I wanna play!”

“Mm, that’s not very polite,” Ryan tutted.

“Please, sir, can we go now?” Jeremy pleaded.

“Good boy,” Ryan purred, “Yes, we can go now.”

Geoff watched them leave in bafflement. Wow, they really were together. They were hot together. Geoff had gotten hard from watching them fondle each other. _Great, I’ve learned another new thing I never wanted to know about myself. Apparently I think Ryan and Jeremy are attractive._ He recalled when Jeremy had joined and he’d “subtly” pushed the two of them together, before Ray had even retired. _Great. I’ve been shipping them this whole time._

Other him made his appearance as Geoff wallowed in self-loathing. 

“Did Vagabond touch you?” Other asked as he crouched in front of him.

“No, but I’m starting to feel like the lot of you are going to try passing me around,” Geoff grumbled.

“We could if you have any interest,” Other offered, “It wouldn’t be the first time we passed around a slut.”

_ Jesus fucking Christ.  _

“Anyway, we’re headed out,” he continued, offering Geoff a hand up, “You hungry?”

Geoff reluctantly took the offered hand and was hauled to his feet. 

“Yeah, I guess,” he muttered. 

“Let’s go grab some food,” Other suggested, “Then I’m gonna show you a really nice time.”

He grabbed Geoff’s ass, making him squeak and jump. _Fucking Christ. Kill me._

~

_ Ding! _

Michael jerked awake, shaking his head. Security ping. He flipped over to the security window and tiredly registered it was Jeremy and Ryan on Looting St. Jeremy’s apartment was on Looting, so that wasn’t unusual. 

_Wait._ Michael’s tired brain finally caught up. _What are Jeremy and Ryan doing together near Jeremy’s apartment when Jeremy already went home and Ryan is still here??_

“Ryan!” Michael shouted, jumping to his feet, “Jack!”

The two rushed to meet him outside Gavin’s office.

“Fake Ryan and Jeremy are over at Jeremy’s place!” He exclaimed.

Ryan was gone. He sprinted from the building while the other two rushed after him. He barely stopped to jam his helmet on his head before he was zipping off toward Looting. Michael called Gavin as he got in Jack’s passenger seat, but had to leave a voice message.

~

_ Ding, Dong! _

Jeremy spat out toothpaste, frowning. Who the hell was at his door this late?? He went to the door and peeked through the peephole. _Ryan?_ He opened it.

“Ry, what is it?” He grunted.

“I need to talk to you,” Ryan muttered.

“It can’t wait til morning?” Jeremy snorted.

“No, I can’t wait any more,” Ryan insisted.

Jeremy frowned, stepping aside to let him in. 

“Can’t wait for what?” He asked as Ryan stepped through the doorway.

Ryan closed the door, crowding into his space.

“I can’t wait to be with you,” he whispered.

He seized up suddenly as Jeremy tased him and held it long enough he collapsed, fainting. 

“Well then,” Mirror Jeremy spoke up as he moved down the hallway, “I told him he wouldn’t fool me twice. But he really wanted to know how far he could get.”

Jeremy clicked the taser threateningly.

“You better stay the hell away from me, slut,” he growled.

Mirror laughed as he came forward.

“I’m not getting within range of that, no worries,” he assured him, “But tell me why are you so angry with me?”

“Y-You tried to hurt Ryan!” Jeremy lied, “And you kicked me in the fucking balls!”

“Uh-huh,” Mirror laughed, “It’s not because Ryan’s hard cock was all over my ass earlier?”

“H-He was-?” Jeremy choked.

_He didn’t say that!_

“Oh, didn’t he say?” Mirror mused, “He wanted to cut me up and fuck me over the nearest flat surface. But then he realized his poor, weak little battle buddy couldn’t fight off his mirror.”

“Th-That’s not true!” Jeremy huffed, “Ry trusts my ability!”

“Does he?” Mirror snorted, “Then why did he step up to defend you from himself?”

Jeremy opened his mouth to angrily argue, but came up with nothing. Normally Ryan would never step in unless Jeremy asked for help or was severely injured. _He...thinks I’m weaker than him. Stronger than anyone else, but still weaker than him._ Suddenly Jeremy’s legs were swept out from under him and he landed on the floor with an elegant “oof”. The taser dropped from his hand as mirror Ryan grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. 

“Jeremy, taser!” Mirror Ryan barked.

Mirror scurried over and grabbed the taser, handing it to mirror Ryan who took Jeremy’s wrists in one hand and sat on his thighs to accept the taser. All while Jeremy struggled under him, growling at him to get off. 

“You little fucking whore,” mirror Ryan hissed.

He stuck the taser in Jeremy’s side and Jeremy grunted as he seized up. 

“I don’t remember you being nearly this difficult!” Mirror Ryan huffed.

“Eh, I was still pretty difficult,” Mirror argued, “Will you stick him again, sir? I like seeing my face all twisted up in pain. It’s really hot.”

“Anything for you, darlin’,” mirror Ryan cooed.

He stuck the taser in Jeremy’s side again and Jeremy growled in pain as he seized up again. 

“Not so great on the receiving end, is it?” Mirror Ryan sneered.

He stuck him again and Jeremy went fuzzy. 

“If you didn’t belong to me, I might electrocute you to death, you little whore,” mirror Ryan growled, “As it stands, I’ll just have to punish you.”

He leaned over Jeremy to speak in his ear.

“And you’ll have to beg extra sweet for me to give you what you want,” he whispered hotly.

Jeremy was just with it enough to get a boner from the threat. _Goddamnit...I really am just like him._

“Fuck, that’s hotter than I thought it would be,” Mirror spoke up, “Anyway, shouldn’t we go?”

Before mirror Ryan could answer him, a phone went off playing a song as a ringtone.

_ “You like the way I move my body- _

_ “Take control, Illuminati- _

_ “I'm the baddest at the party fo sho~” _

“What the fuck??” Mirror Ryan grunted, shifting around.

_ “I’m like the drink that you've been sippin- _

_ “I'm the spice that you've been missin- _

_ “Good as gold, baby I'm ready-“ _

“What??” Mirror Ryan shouted as way of greeting.

“Kingpin’s fucking gone!” Gavin’s voice screeched out of the phone.

“He’s fucking the alternate!” Mirror Ryan snapped.

“No, they’re both gone!” Mirror Gavin insisted.

This is when Jeremy’s front door slammed open to reveal Ryan. He immediately started for them, but Jeremy interrupted from the floor.

“Wait, wait!” He huffed, “Geoff and mirror Geoff are missing!”

Ryan hesitated.

“We’re gonna have to work with them,” Jeremy grunted, “Will you get off me, you giant fucker?!”

Mirror Ryan made annoyed humming noise as he stood and moved aside. Ryan went to Jeremy’s side to help him up. Jeremy wobbled to his feet and slumped against him. This is when Michael and Jack arrived, guns out.

“Is someone going to start explaining or should I just start shooting?” Jack grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random things said in this chapter that help describe the tone of this fic:  
> “Porn. Just straight up gay porn.”  
> “Jesus, why were their alternates so fucking horny??”  
> “Great, I’ve learned another new thing I never wanted to know about myself.”  
> “Is someone going to start explaining or should I just start shooting?”
> 
> In case you were wondering the tone and themes of this fic.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“So,” she began, “Alternate Ryan and Jeremy broke into Jeremy’s apartment to kidnap him-”

“It’s not kidnapping!” Alternate Ryan interrupted, “He belongs to me! And I was _planning_ on starting gentle, but-”

“Quiet or I gut you like the pig you are!” Ryan growled, flicking open a knife.

“Shut the fuck up!” Jack cut in before they could really start again, “I will fucking separate you two from your Jeremys, I swear to Christ!”

They both shifted closer to their respective Jeremy, looking annoyed and scolded.

“Midway through harassing Jeremy,” Jack continued, “Alternate Ryan got a call from Alternate Gavin who announced that Geoff-squared had been kidnapped midway through their supposed date. Now we all need to work together to get them back. Does that sum it up?”

“That’s about it,” alternate Jeremy answered, “I mean, I could give a fuck about Kingpin, but...”

“He does all the boring stuff,” alternate Gavin supplied from speakerphone, “Clerical stuff, you know? He gets the jobs, makes the plans, and pays us.”

“It’s really in our best interest to keep him around,” alternate Ryan concluded begrudgingly.

Jack rubbed her forehead tiredly. _What the fuck am I even supposed to say to that?_

“Michael, any word from Gavin yet?” She muttered.

“No, he’s not picking up,” Michael grumbled. 

“Sleeps like a rock!” Alternate Gavin chirped.

“Okay, Michael and I will go back to base for my alternate,” Jack explained, “Michael will then get Gavin, Alternate Gavin will get alternate Michael and we’ll all meet up at the safe house at 546 Glenwood. As for you four-“

She pointed at the Ryans and Jeremys.

“-maintain a three foot distance from your alternates and their partner or I will shoot you in the leg,” she warned, “Move out.”

Alternate Ryan looked ready to fight that, but alternate Jeremy tapped his shoulder. Alternate Ryan bent to let him speak in his ear again. Alternate Ryan’s face blanked, the same as it had before and he took his phone before he and alternate Jeremy left, followed by Jack and Michael. Jack shook her head. _Jesus Christ, what the fuck even is my life??_

~

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked Jeremy as the others left.

“Fine,” Jeremy grunted.

Ryan wanted to touch him, pat his shoulder or rub his back or brush his hand through his hair, just anything to be some sort of comfort to him. No doubt he was not doing the greatest. He got his jacket and Ryan hovered, unsure of what to do or how to help. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He mumbled.

“Fine,” Jeremy repeated gruffly.

Ryan hesitantly squeezed his shoulder, trying to be reassuring. Jeremy smacked his hand away, scowling at him. Ryan retreated back a step. _Right, someone with my face just assaulted him. He probably doesn’t want to even see me._

“I’m not weak!” Jeremy huffed, “I can take care of myself! And I could beat you if I wanted!”

“I know,” Ryan murmured, confused.

_Is he upset because they got the better of him?_ Ryan wanted to tell him it was normal to lose when outnumbered, but wasn’t sure that was a good thing to say. 

“You...don’t think you’re stronger than me?” Jeremy mumbled.

“No,” Ryan answered.

Jeremy was much stronger than Ryan. In every way. Ryan was exhausted half the time trying to keep up with him.

“Then why do you keep stepping up to defend me??” Jeremy demanded, “You only do it with him!”

Ryan hesitated, fidgeting a bit. It was less about defending Jeremy, if he was being honest.

“He makes me angry,” he admitted, “I don’t like how he treats you.”

_Like you’re his._ Jeremy’s eyebrows raised.

“So...you don’t think I’m weak?” He pressed quietly.

_**You,** weak??_ Jeremy was the strongest, most capable man Ryan had ever met. He was amazing.

“No.”

Jeremy gave him a tiny grateful smile. Ryan smiled back automatically. Then Jeremy hugged him tightly, squeezing around his middle. Ryan blushed, putting his arms around him carefully. How many years had it been and he was still nervous about Jeremy’s hugs? Shouldn’t he be used to them by now? Shouldn’t he know where the right place to put his arms was?

“Sorry, I know you’re not a hugger,” Jeremy mumbled into his chest, “But I...can we stay like this a minute?”

_Anything for you, darlin’._ Ryan gently squeezed him closer. Jeremy relaxed against him and Ryan wanted to hold him forever. Or at least until Jeremy got sick of him. 

“Um, thank you,” Jeremy added, “F-For having my back.”

“Always,” Ryan whispered.

Jeremy pulled back, face a bit pink. He looked down like he was nervous. Ryan was overcome with the desire to touch him again. Hold his hand, caress his cheek, kiss his pretty lips. He looked away. Not only did he suspect that wasn’t an option for them, but this was also an _extremely_ inappropriate time for such a thing. He felt guilty for even thinking such things. Jeremy had just been assaulted after all and by someone who looked just like Ryan, no less. There couldn’t be a worse time for Ryan to make a move on him.

“Um, can I ride with you?” Jeremy asked, “I’m still a little fuzzy.”

Ryan nodded, smiling lightly. He loved when Jeremy rode on his bike with him. Again he felt guilty for it thinking about it though. He shouldn’t be thinking about enjoying Jeremy’s arms around his waist after Jeremy had such a bad experience. He should be thinking of tearing alternate him’s limbs off instead.

~

Gavin yawned again, rubbing his eye tiredly. He leaned his head against his hand. _Porn is weird,_ he decided. He supposed it made sense for some of it to be a little weird, but the concept itself seemed bizarre the more he thought about it. People having sex on camera for the enjoyment of others. _Weird._

It also wasn’t doing anything for him. The internet said that wasn’t completely abnormal, but that it was more normal for men to enjoy porn. Gavin hadn’t really thought about it before, but he supposed sex in general didn’t seem to do a lot for him. He’d only had sex once and while he’d considered it with others, for the most part he found no interest in it. Which made the whole “hurting during sex” thing difficult to understand. But it was the only thing he knew about other Michael, so he really didn’t have much else to explore. 

He sighed heavily, laying back on his bed and lifting his tablet up to keep watching. Gavin’s eyes moved up and down, watching the bottom bouncing. _Hm._ He put the tablet down and closed his eyes. He pictured the man was in his lap instead. _Up, down. Up, down. Up, down._ He sighed. _Nothing._ He picked the tablet back up and focused on the talking.

“You like that, slut?” The top growled as he squeezed the bottom’s throat.

“Y-Yes, sir!” The bottom groaned, hips faltering slightly, “I-I love it!”

Gavin thought back to other Michael in his lap. 

_“Like when I fuckin’ choke you, baby?”_

Gavin hummed. _Not really?_ He put the tablet down and closed his eyes again, holding his hands out like he was choking other Michael again. _Michael said he likes it too._ Gavin pictured his boi in his lap, bouncing. _Up, down. Up, down. Up, down._ Gavin groaned, hands squeezing.

“Y-You like that, slut?” He tried.

_“C-Call that choking?” Michael rasped in his imagination, “Fuckin’ pathetic.”_

Gavin stared down at his hard dick in bafflement. _So...I like it?_ He frowned. _I like it, but...only if it’s Michael._ He closed his eyes and tried envisioning an array of other people in the same position, but found no interest in them. Only Michael. 

“Huh.”

A particularly loud moan from the porn reminded him he was still wearing earbuds and he took them out. He rubbed his tired eyes. He should be sleeping, but he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the other them or about the interesting world of BDSM and other kinks. At least now he had an idea of what the alternates were _feeling_ when it came to the hurting each other thing and he’d gotten several sex-related questions answered by the internet. 

But now he wondered why they, why _he_ liked it. He didn’t really want to hurt Michael, so why would it turn him on to think of doing so? It just didn’t really add up. It didn’t make sense. There was no logic behind it. 

_Bang, bang, bang!_

Gavin jumped badly as someone pounded on his front door.

“Gavin!” Michael’s voice shouted, “You better be fucking dead! I swear to fucking Christ, if you’re fucking around, I’m gonna destroy you!”

Gavin’s waning boner flipped back into life. _Oh. I want him to hurt me too. Huh._ He rolled out of bed and pulled on some pants to answer the door. He really didn’t want to make Michael uncomfortable. Michael scowled at him.

“Dude, I’ve been calling you!” He huffed, “Geoff and his alternate got kidnapped. We’re working with the fake guys to get them back.”

“Oh, good!” Gavin chirped.

Michael squinted at him.

“Good??” He grumbled, “Geoff got kidnapped, dumbass! That’s not fucking good!”

“He’s Geoff, he’ll be fine,” Gavin argued, “But that’s not the good part. I need to talk to my alternate.”

“Um, okay?” Michael grunted, “Just hurry up and get dressed.”

“Right!”

He hurried off to his bedroom to finish getting dressed. Other Gavin must have more experience with sex and hurting his partners, so he must know why they like it. He was the perfect source of information. 

~

Jack and her alternate were sitting in the two armchairs, side by side. The Gavins and Michaels were sitting on the couch, the two Michaels in the middle and the two Gavins on the ends. The Jeremys were sitting on either arm of the couch and the Ryans were standing beside them. It almost looked like an actual mirrored image. Or a really dysfunctional family portrait. Or both. Yes, both. _Definitely_ both.

“For the sake of clarity,” Jack began, “From now on, the alternates will be addressed as their code names. Should make things a bit easier to understand and help prevent misunderstandings. Objections?”

No one found it objectionable. 

“Alright, first things first,” she went on, “Gold, give us the rundown of the events leading to the kidnapping.”

“Well, my boi was choking-“ Gold started.

“She meant with King and the alternate,” Rimmy interrupted.

“Oh, right!” Gold exclaimed, “So they left around nine for Harvey’s on Eighth. King asked if I’d found you yet. Er, found her?”

He pointed at the other.

“Blimey, which of you is which??” He wondered.

“I’m the alternate,” Roadkill spoke up.

“Right, so I was looking for you,” Gold continued, “Trying to tap into some security footage. I got a bit distracted by my boi and the next thing I know, King’s tracker got destroyed. So I got into the security at Harvey’s and I see a bunch of thugs throwing King and the other in a van. I couldn’t find where the van went next because obviously I don’t have my network here. So I called Vagabond because he’s our best tracker. Now we’re here.”

“Gavin?” Jack prompted.

“Looks like they knew where to go,” Gavin muttered, looking at his tablet, “They wove through my system. Threaded the needle pretty incredibly. Let me see if- _Oops!”_

Michael looked over and flinched. Jeremy looked down too and blushed, head jerking away and hand going up to block his eyes from the tablet.

“You should really stop keeping your research open,” Michael hissed.

“It was another tab!” Gavin protested, “Anyway, I’ve got a good ID on the van. No plates though. I need to get back and I’ll run through, see if we can find where in my system they popped out.”

“No need,” Vagabond grunted, “I’ll go down and track it, it’ll be faster.”

“I can do that,” Ryan hastily spoke up, “I don’t trust him to relay the information.”

“That’s...fair, actually,” Vagabond admitted, “I can’t argue, if I think I could take the kidnappers, I wouldn’t bother telling anyone.”

“Fine, you both go,” Jack ordered, “But if you kill the other, I will at least injure you, so fucking watch it. Gav, work the system anyway, see if you can find clues as to who exactly is behind this. Michael, Jeremy, hit Harvey’s, see if anyone saw anything important.”

“Hell ya, Short Temper!” Jeremy laughed, leaning over Gavin to high-five Michael.

“What the fuck is that?” Mogar grunted.

“God, you fakes suck,” Jeremy snorted, “No team names? Lame.”

“We have team names!” Gold protested, “Team Grinning Dynamite!”

He put his arm around Mogar’s shoulders and smacked a kiss on his cheek. 

“Get off, whore,” Mogar grumbled, shoving him away, “Me and Rimmy are Fire and Brimstone. Way cooler.”

“Fuck ya!” Rimmy agreed, leaning over Gold to high-five him.

Jack and Roadkill looked at each other in exasperation. 

“Like children,” they grumbled together.

“Anyway, what about Team Lads?” Gold piped up, putting his arms around Rimmy and Mogar, “What do you want us to do?”

“Oh, but that translated over,” Michael snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Until we have more clues, nothing,” Jack answered, “Unless Gold can help Ga-“

“Yes!” Gavin blurted, “I need his help! He’ll be very helpful!”

“Then I guess Lads will stick with Gold’s alternate,” Rimmy offered.

“That’s uneven!” Michael protested, “Why can’t Rimmy go with Jeremy? I can stick with Gavin!”

“Because they can’t be seen together,” Jack argued, “It’ll be pretty noticeable they’re the same person. No one else is that short.”

Jeremy very maturely stuck his tongue out at her.

“We can’t just leave Gavin outnumbered!” Michael huffed.

“We will also be there,” Jack pointed out, gesturing between her and her alternate.

“Look what this asshole did to Gavin’s neck!” Michael growled, gripping Gavins chin to push it up and show off the bruises, “No way in hell am I leaving fake me anywhere near him alone!”

Jack sighed heavily.

“Fine,” she muttered, “Gavin, Michael, Mogar, and Gold will go back to home base and search the system. Jeremy and I will go in to Harvey’s while Roadkill and Rimmy act as our back up. Ryan and Vagabond will track the van. Everyone’s even, right? Complaints?”

“I could probably think of something,” Rimmy answered dryly.

Vagabond snorted. Jack wanted to roll her eyes out of her head. _Assholes. All of them._

_~  
_

Geoff woke up back to back with his alternate. 

“You finally awake, princess?” Other sneered.

“Shut up, asshole,” Geoff grumbled as he looked around.

A solitary, nearly burnt out lightbulb hung from the center of the ceiling, just barely filling the windowless room with yellow light. The walls and floor were rough and gray. Rickety wood stairs led up to a rough, beaten up white door. _Basement._

“Sand on the steps,” Other pointed out.

“Great,” Geoff grunted, slumping against him, “So we could be anywhere in the fucking desert then.”

“Lots of time to get to know each other,” Other joked.

“Oh man, just what I wanted,” Geoff muttered dryly.

“Personally I’m enjoying the rope bondage,” Other snickered, wiggling his wrists where they were tied to Geoff’s.

“You would,” Geoff snorted, “Fucking perv.”

“You’re just jealous I’m able to be open about my kinks,” Other taunted.

“I don’t have your kinks,” Geoff huffed, “You keep your weird shit to yourself.”

Other snorted out a laugh and they were quiet a minute.

“My family will come for me,” Geoff murmured, “What about yours?”

“I abandoned the only person that might’ve given a shit,” Other muttered, “Don’t worry, I know what I sowed. I’ll reap my just rewards eventually.”

He pressed his back against Geoff’s.

“Not this time though,” he laughed, “This time my cute little alternate is gonna be my ticket to cheating my inevitable demise.”

“Lucky me,” Geoff grumbled.

“Just admit you’re kinda into it,” Other teased.

“Kill me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idiots. 👌


	5. Chapter 5

Jack and Jeremy entered Harvey’s and glanced around. The host gasped, eyes going wide and jaw dropping.

“Oh my god!” They exclaimed, “More of you on the same night, that’s crazy!!”

Jeremy frowned. _They recognized us immediately._

“I take that to mean you saw Kingpin earlier?” Jack guessed as they approached the host.

“Yeah, him and his double!” They chirped, “They look sooo much alike! It’s crazy!”

Jeremy glanced around the restaurant, looking for security cameras.

“Uh, yeah, they get that a lot,” Jack muttered, “So did you see anything?”

“Not a lot,” the host admitted, “But Mia was just coming back from a break when it happened, I think maybe she saw something.”

They looked around, eyes scanning over the few people left in the restaurant. 

“Mia!” They called out, “Come here a sec, would you?”

Mia started over, then saw Jack and Jeremy and stopped. Her eyes widened and she turned, bolting for the back door. Jack and Jeremy sprinted after her, bursting into the alleyway in time to see her get clotheslined by a baseball bat. Roadkill and Rimmy stepped into the alleyway, looking rather menacing. Mia scrambled backwards, looking behind her to see Jack and Jeremy as well.

“Oh god, you all have doubles!” She cried, “I’m gonna fucking die!”

“Why would we kill you?” Jack wondered, “You’re just a witness, aren’t you?”

Mia shook with fear as she looked between the four of them. 

“Th-They asked me if Kingpin was inside,” she admitted shakily, “And gave me some money to move his car.”

“Are you fucking stupid?” Rimmy growled, “Crossing Kingpin, you must be mentally deficient.”

“I-I didn’t know they were going to kidnap him!” Mia protested, “I-I thought they’d try to fight them and then the rest of you would show up! That’s how it always works!”

“She’s got a point,” Jeremy muttered, “We’re almost always near each other, ready to jump in.”

Rimmy snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Where did you park the car?” Jack asked.

“D-Down, just around the corner of Bridge St,” Mia answered, gesturing in a vague direction.

“And did you see any of the kidnappers?” Jack continued, “Could you give us a description?”

“Um, the one who talked to me has two different eyes,” Mia offered, “One blue, one brown.”

“Did they have any logos or colors on them?” Jack pressed.

Mia frowned, considering it a moment.

“One of them had a teal bandanna,” she murmured hesitantly, “They were shoving it in their pocket. But it could’ve meant nothing.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” Jack muttered crouching down in front of her, “Which hand is your dominant hand?”

“R-Right,” Mia mumbled shakily.

Jack took out a knife and heated the blade.

“You know I have to punish you,” she spoke quietly.

_“And you’ll have to beg extra sweet for me to give you what you want.”_

Jeremy swallowed thickly as his face flushed and his dick reacted to him recalling Vagabond whispering in his ear.

_“Come on, suck, bitch.”_

Jeremy’s knees were weak. 

_“I can’t wait to be with you.”_

Jeremy’s heart pounded in his chest.

_“Anything for you, darlin’.”_

Jeremy’s heart squeezed. He felt Ryan’s arms around him. Would _Ryan_ call _Jeremy_ “darlin’” if he ever spoke in more than one word sentences? 

“Hello??” Jack called, waving her hand in front of Jeremy’s face, “You awake in there??”

“S-Sorry,” Jeremy stammered, shaking his head clear of useless thoughts, “Are we good?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Jack muttered, giving him a concerned look.

He smiled weakly at her as they exited the alleyway. He really needed to get his head back on right.

~

Ryan’s eyes darted over the warehouse from his perch on the roof. There was the van, but there was no one around. Something wasn’t right about this set up.

“Something’s not right,” Vagabond muttered beside him, “That van is cheese and this place is a mousetrap.”

He was right, but no way Ryan would ever admit that. Vagabond carefully opened the skylight in front of him and Ryan hesitantly followed suit. They really shouldn’t go in. It was a blatant trap. But they weren’t going to learn anything if they didn’t go inside. 

They maneuvered carefully into the rafters, avoiding a tripwire placed in front of the windows. Wordlessly, they went opposite directions, Vagabond taking the left and Ryan taking the right. There were more boobytraps in the rafters, clearly placed for Ryan and Jeremy, the two who spent the most time crawling around the rafters. 

Ryan wished Jeremy was there right then. He liked crawling through the rafters with Jeremy in front of him, for obviously very creepy reasons. But he also just liked working with Jeremy. He was fun and energetic, spontaneous too and he made Ryan laugh. Obviously he was fucking crazy about him. Who wouldn’t be if they were forced to work so closely with him? And they definitely worked closely together.

Nearly every job Jeremy did, Ryan was also on as his partner, from the very beginning of Jeremy’s recruitment. Ryan didn’t think it was fair, really, for either of them. Jeremy had to work with a creep and Ryan had to work with the most amazing criminal ever. And the most amazing ass. Really, how was he not supposed to crush on him super hard? 

Ryan paused over some high shelves and made to drop down onto them. There was more boobytraps, but he managed to avoid them and get to the floor. He pulled his flashlight to look around. The shelves were mostly filled with junk. Nothing important. They’d also been shoved closer together, likely to make room for vehicles in the front half. He wove between them, watching for tripwires, but not seeing any. 

Eventually he found himself through the cramped shelves to a small open area. A table and a bunch of mismatched chairs were in the area. This must’ve been where the kidnappers spent free time. Ryan looked for some clue as to who had been there and found a jacket. The jacket itself was unremarkable, it was what was on and in the jacket that was helpful: sand. Meaning they’d spent some time in the desert or on the beach. 

Ryan dumped the contents of the jacket’s pockets onto the table. A pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a pocket knife, and a folded up piece of card stock that Ryan thought might be a postcard. Before he could unfold it, he heard a load clatter of metal hitting concrete floor.

“What, only ten of you?” His own voice taunted loudly, “I’m disappointed.”

Ryan gathered up the items he took from the jacket. He considered just leaving, letting Vagabond get murdered by the thugs, but recalled Jack’s warning. He’d probably get bashed with a baseball bat if he left him to die. He sighed as the sound of fighting broke out and hurried toward the front of the warehouse. 

He recalled suddenly as he approached that he was without a gun. He’d been in the gym, still trying to punch his feelings out of himself when Michael called for him and Jack. They weren’t allowed to have guns in the gym any more after Gavin shot out one of the lights and he’d forgotten to grab his spare from his bike. _Great._ So he had to knife fight ten thugs alongside someone he absolutely hated just to keep that guy alive so he could keep his shins in one piece. He was having the _greatest_ night. 

Luckily, it seemed the thugs were trying to go non-lethal for some reason and were not shooting Vagabond. Or at least he couldn’t hear any gunshots. He paused behind a shelf, peeking out to see the fight. Vagabond was a whirlwind, a tornado with a glinting silver blade flashing across the scene as he slashed into the thugs. Aggression could be good, but control was key to winning a fight. 

Ryan twirled one of his throwing knives around his finger as he watched the fight. It almost whistled as it flew through the air into someone’s chest. Vagabond’s blade slashed across their throat. Ryan’s next knife hit someone’s eye. Vagabond’s blade sank into their heart as he slammed a boot into someone else’s guts. They grabbed his ankle, but were distracted by a knife suddenly in their throat. Vagabond tilted toward them as he pulled his knife from the other person’s chest and grabbed Ryan’s knife, ripping it sideways across their throat before hurling it into someone else. 

From there the fight got easy, the thugs suddenly backing down, seeming terrified of this invisible partner Vagabond had. Clearly they weren’t expecting that. Jeremy was pretty visible after all and Ryan only ever worked alone or with him. Once they were all downed, Vagabond started working through them, making sure they were dead.

“Wait!” Ryan called out, hurrying toward him, “We need information!”

Vagabond paused and put his boot on one of the still live thugs’ chest.

“You, little rat,” he snarled, “What has your boss done with Kingpin?”

The thug choked on their own blood.

“Useless,” Vagabond sneered.

He slit their throat.

“Anyone else still alive?” He growled.

Ryan rolled his eyes, weaving through the still forms on the floor. If Vagabond hadn’t slashed so many throats, they may have had live targets to question. Ryan retrieved his knives as he searched them, hoping to find more clues but coming up blank. 

“The van?” He prompted.

“Boobytrapped,” Vagabond grunted, “I was trying to disarm it when they showed up. But there’s sand on the tires.”

Ryan moved over to the vehicle and crouched down by the tire. _Sand and dirt._ He picked some of the dirt from the tire, rubbing it between his fingers. Vagabond crouched down next to him.

“Red dust,” he commented, “They’re in Bone County. They could be anywhere out there.”

Ryan pulled out the postcard and unfolded it. “Hello from Regular Tom” was written across a picture of the geyser. 

“You telling me these dumbasses went on a field trip in the middle of kidnapping?” Vagabond grumbled.

Ryan shrugged and stood, tucking the postcard away. They left the warehouse and started back for their bikes.

“I’d have left you,” Vagabond muttered.

“I know,” Ryan snorted.

“You’re more capable than I thought,” Vagabond added, “A stronger rival than I expected. You want some advice?”

“No,” Ryan answered as they mounted their bikes.

“Suit yourself,” Vagabond murmured, shrugging, “But we’re not on even playing field, you know. I already know your Jeremy ten times better than he knows himself. I will easily win him over you.”

“Jeremy isn’t a prize to be won, pig,” Ryan spat, disgusted.

Vagabond looked him in the eyes.

“Jeremy is the _only_ prize worth winning,” he spoke softly.

He reached up and tugged his shirt down and aside. “JD” was tattooed in large calligraphy letters over his heart.

“I will never stop pursuing him in any of his forms,” he whispered, “Because I belong to him as he belongs to me.”

Ryan stared at him a moment, unsure of what to say or do. Vagabond let go of his shirt as he turned his bike on. 

“Open your eyes, Haywood,” he suggested, “Before I take what you so desperately desire.”

He zipped away before Ryan could come up with any response. Vagabond would never have Jeremy and that really had nothing to do with Ryan. It simply wasn’t going to happen because Jeremy wouldn’t let it. Especially not after everything he’d done. 

Ryan touched his chest over his heart. But it didn’t change the fact that Vagabond was right: Ryan _did_ desire Jeremy very desperately. And it was very possible that Jeremy could find someone else. Ryan was terrified of rejection, but he’d never know unless he tried, would he?

~

“So he doesn’t know, huh?” Mogar spoke up, “About our little secret?” 

“Shut it,” Michael muttered as he watched the footage.

He was regretting now that he’d handcuffed Mogar to him to ensure he couldn’t harass Gavin. Now Mogar was sat beside him at his desk as they looked through security footage. And he wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

“He doesn’t care,” Mogar snorted, “Actually he kinda digs it.”

_“Yours_ does,” Michael countered.

“They’re very similar,” Mogar argued, “Yours was fucking groping me when I choked him.”

“You’re lying,” Michael accused.

“Why the hell would I lie about that?” Mogar wondered.

“I don’t fucking know,” Michael grumbled, “You are all so fucking weird.”

“Maybe,” Mogar agreed, “Or maybe _you’re_ the weird one and I’m normal.”

“No,” Michael answered shortly.

“I see my amazing debate skills have passed over,” Mogar sneered.

“Just shut up, dude,” Michael grunted, “We’re supposed to be fucking focusing.”

“Hard to fucking focus with a vibrator in your ass,” Mogar grumbled.

Michael covered his eyes with the hand not attached to Mogar’s. _What in the fuck did I ever do to deserve this?_ Michael wanted to go home and pretend Geoff was fine so he could sleep forever. 

“Whoa, wait a sec!” Mogar exclaimed sitting forward, “I know that guy!”

Michael looked up in confusion. Mogar pointed at the screen where someone was standing on a street corner. 

“So?” Michael prompted, “Why the fuck should I care?”

“Rewind the video, asshole,” Mogar hissed.

Michael rewound the footage.

“There, watch!” Mogar ordered.

Michael played the video. The person Mogar pointed out was leaning against a traffic light post on their phone. The footage just barely caught the edge of the black van they were looking for. The person straightened up slightly to wave at the driver as they passed. They had a friendly enough smile to indicate they actually knew the person, not just waving at a random stranger. 

“Frankie Rivera,” Mogar supplied, “If he’s the same here as-”

He jolted suddenly.

“If you don’t stop playing Bohemian Rhapsody in my ass, I swear to fuck!” He shouted at the door that separated Michael’s office from Gavin’s, “I’m gonna go in there and drop you like a sack of potatoes, you little fucking whore!”

Michael snorted, trying and failing to stifle laughter. 

“Oh my god, wh-what a fucking idiot!” He choked out around laughter.

“Fuck you, man!” Mogar grumbled, “You try focusing with Queen vibrating against your fucking prostate!”

He jolted again.

“Fuck!” He shouted, “I’m gonna murder that fucking asshole!”

He grunted and shifted around to pull out his phone, scowling at it. 

“Beg for mercy, fuck you!” He growled at the door, “I’m gonna throw you out a fucking window!”

“H-He can’t fucking hear you!” Michael wheezed, clutching his stomach, “S-Soundproof walls! You’re such a fucking idiot!”

“Fuck you!” Mogar hissed, “You’re a fucking asshole!”

He slugged Michael who kicked his chair to send him rolling away, only to suddenly remember they were handcuffed together. Mogar laughed at him as he pulled him along with him, their chairs rolling towards the wall.

“Who’s the fucking idiot now?” He cackled.

“Still you, dickbag!” Michael huffed, giving him a dead leg, “You can eat my dick!”

“Wouldn’t be very satisfying!” Mogar sneered as he put Michael in a chokehold.

“W-We have the same dick, you dumb fucking asshole!” Michael wheezed, slamming his elbow into Mogar’s ribs.

Mogar grunted, but before he could come up with a snappy reply, the door to Gavin’s office opened.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Gold wondered, eyebrows raised.

“The fuck does it look like??” Michael and Mogar sneered. 

“Looks like you’re about to fuck,” Gold snorted.

“In his fucking dreams!” Michael and Mogar hissed.

Michael slammed his elbow into Mogar again and Mogar finally let go. Gold closed the door as they rolled back to the desk, glaring at each other. He wandered over as they got situated again.

“Frankie Rivera sounds familiar,” Michael grunted as he pulled up Gavin’s database.

“Pickpocket,” Mogar muttered.

Gold suddenly plopped down in his lap. 

“Fuck off, whore,” Mogar grumbled, “I’m mad at you.”

“Ooh, someone’s horny,” Gold teased.

Michael rolled his eyes as he typed in the name to search if Gavin had any info on Frankie Rivera. 

“Yeah, I wonder why that might be,” Mogar growled, “I was choking on you for half an hour then didn’t get off and I have Bohemian Rhapsody torturing my fucking prostate. No shit I’m fucking horny. You better fucking do something about it before I _make_ you.”

Michael hummed thoughtfully as he scrolled through the file. _Pickpocket, like he said._

“Hm, why should I?” Gold mused, “What’s in it for me?”

“What’s in it for you is me not breaking your fucking face,” Mogar snarled.

_Known associates..._

“Not very convincing,” Gold snorted.

Mogar stood suddenly, knocking him off his lap. Gold bumped into the desk as dropped onto his ass. Mogar stood over him as he undid his belt.

“What the fuck, dude?!” Michael snapped.

“Uncuff me if you don’t want to see this,” Mogar suggested as he opened his fly.

“Don’t fuck against my desk!” Michael huffed.

“Will you shut up?” Gold whined, “You’re totally killing the mood.”

Mogar pointedly shook his wrist where he was cuffed to Michael. 

“Let me free and I’ll haul him off somewhere else!” He growled.

“Ooh, we could go next door!” Gold suggested, “Other me is so into it.”

Michael threw a glare at him and he just smirked smugly. Michael focused back on the file, jaw clenching. 

“Suit yourself,” Mogar snorted, “Open your mouth, slut.”

“Make me,” Gold sneered.

Michael ignored his peripheral vision telling him Mogar was forcing Gold’s mouth open as he pulled his dick out. The desk rattled as Mogar shoved forward, pressing Gold’s head against it as Gold choked on him.

“I swear to god if you break my desk, I’m killing you both,” Michael grumbled. 

Gold groaned loudly and Mogar hissed.

“Yeah, you like there being two of me threatening you, slut?” He sneered.

He leaned over, gripping the desk in one hand and putting his other hand behind Gold’s head. Michael realized he’d turned to watch them and quickly whipped his head back around and closed his eyes completely as Mogar started moving. Gold sounded like he was simultaneously having a great and terrible time. Moaning and choking. 

Michael tried really, really fucking hard not to register that the noises he was making were the ones Gavin would make. But with his eyes closed, he couldn’t see that it was _not_ Gavin and was picturing Gavin. But also he didn’t want to just watch them fucking. This fucking sucked. Everything about this sucked. He wasn’t sure it could get any worse than this.

~

_ Ding! _

Gavin jerked awake, nearly flailing right out of his chair. _Security ping?_ He pulled it up. It was a black van and this late at night was suspicious, but upon further inspection it had a logo painted on the side and legit plates. He checked Gold’s trackers and found it seemed most everyone was headed back. Or at least the three alternates whose trackers were registering were.

Gavin looked around his office to find himself alone. Gold had vanished, apparently. Gavin must’ve fallen asleep pretty early, since he didn’t even remember finishing the first sweep through the Eighth St. footage. But everything in his files had been moved from “footage” to “looked through”. Gold must’ve finished everything while he slept then wandered over to Michael to see what they’d found. 

Gavin stood, shuffled over to the door between their offices, and pushed it open. He was around the door before he registered the unusual noises. His eyes widened as he saw probably the most bizarre scene he’d ever witnessed. Michael was sitting at his desk, eyes covered, but also standing beside himself and over what Gavin thought was his own head. 

He blinked rapidly. _Alternates, right._ Gold was blowing Mogar or rather Mogar was just fucking Gold’s face, while still handcuffed to Michael. Mogar groaned as he stopped moving and Gavin’s own choking noises ramped up. 

“Please tell me this is over,” Michael muttered.

Mogar’s eyes opened and landed on Gavin who was speechless. 

“Oh, hey,” Mogar grunted, a bit breathless, “You missed the show.”

He pulled back slightly as Michael looked up in alarm, eyes also landing on Gavin. His eyes were naturally drawn to Gold’s movements and he flinched, head whipping around.

“Th-They just s-started doing that!” He sputtered.

He was uncomfortable and the two alternates had caused this. Gavin was across the room, swinging before his brain caught up.

_ Whack! _

Mogar stumbled back from Gavin’s blow to his face, jerking Michael’s arm along with him.

_Whack! Whack!_

Mogar lost his footing and fell to the ground. Gavin moved to slam his foot in the guy’s face, but his legs got swept before he could. He grunted as he landed on his shoulder and immediately started to roll to his feet. Gold was on him before he could, gripping his collar.

“No one hurts my boi!” He growled.

Gavin moved his head to avoid the fist coming down. He grappled with Gold, rolling him and shoving him against the floor. He gripped Gold’s throat, squeezing tightly as he stared down at him. 

Gold flailed, trying to punch his ribs to get him off, but Gavin didn’t budge. Michael was talking, he thought, but he couldn’t really hear him. He was focused on punishing Gold. Arms looped around Gavin pulling him up off Gold and he growled, trying to shrug them off. They were too strong though, they pulled him away. He flailed as he was dragged away. 

“Gavin,” Ryan’s voice spoke in his ear, “Michael’s safe. Relax.”

Gavin gasped in a huge breath, clutching at his chest and at Ryan’s arm around his middle.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” Ryan soothed.

He sat Gavin on a couch and pushed Gavin’s head between his knees as he hyperventilated. 

“Deep breath in through your nose,” Ryan instructed.

Gavin sucked in a breath through his nose.

“Out through your mouth.”

Gavin puffed out a heavy breath. Ryan walked him through more breaths until he could see clearly again and his head wasn’t spinning. He gently guided Gavin to sitting up straight and handed him a soda. 

“You with me?” He asked.

Gavin nodded. 

“You wanna talk about why you were killing your alternate?” Ryan offered, raising an eyebrow at him.

Gavin looked away, squeezing the can.

“He...an-and Mogar...” he mumbled, “Were having sex next to Micool. H-He was...he was uncomfortable. He looked so...”

_Helpless._ They’d taken control from him. 

“Easy,” Ryan grunted, taking the can back from him.

“I...overreacted,” Gavin realized, wrapping his arms around his guts.

“No,” Ryan dismissed.

“Feels like I did,” Gavin grumbled.

“You didn’t,” Ryan insisted.

“Good pep talk, Ryebread,” Gavin snorted.

“You’re welcome,” Ryan muttered.

“Please tell me you also tried to kill your alternate,” Gavin murmured, “That’ll make me feel heaps better.”

“I practically saved his life,” Ryan admitted.

Gavin covered his face with his hands.

“You’re the worst at pep talks,” he laughed.

“You’re welcome,” Ryan repeated.

There was a small moment of silence, then Ryan’s foot nudged Gavin’s. Gavin smiled lightly. Ryan was notoriously not physical or verbal with his comforting, often comforting merely by existing in a close proximity to them. Unless he _really_ thought they needed something, then he would nudge their hand or foot with his own. Unless it was Jeremy, who he allowed to hug him. Which was adorable, considering Gavin tried to hug him once and got thrown into and nearly through a wall (though he was very apologetic afterwards). 

“Thanks,” Gavin murmured.

“Yeah.”

~

Jack wanted to know how the hell it was that Ryan didn’t kill or injure Vagabond, but Gavin nearly throttled Gold in a fit of cold-blooded rage. Well, it was because Michael had been involved in Mogar and Gold’s sex despite not wanting to be. Though Michael had admitted quietly that they gave him an out that he’d stubbornly refused to take. Though Jack imagined if she’d sent the two Ryan and Jeremy pairs out together, something similar probably would’ve happened. 

She rubbed her temples as she tried to block out the bickering of the lot of them. Whatever. Once this was over, they could take care of the others more permanently. Whether by locking them in a basement or taking them behind the woodshed. She wished Geoff was there. He was so much better at this shit.

“Alright, enough!” She barked, “Shut the fuck up!”

Everyone went quiet, looking to her.

“We do not have time to continue with your bullshit,” she growled, “Kingpin and Geoff could be dead by now, could be dying, we have no idea! So all this alternate bullshit has to be put on hold. Now, let’s start putting our clues together. Michael, you said you and Mogar found something.”

“Guy named Frankie Rivera,” Michael answered, “He knows the driver of the black van, we just need to convince him to talk.”

“Great,” Jack grunted, “Gavin, track this guy down and we’ll send over some convincing arguments. Ryan, what did you two find?”

Ryan pulled a post card from his jacket and slid it across the table to her.

“Regular Tom, the geyser?” Jack grunted.

“Red dust and sand on the van tires,” Ryan added.

“So they’ve gone into the desert,” Jack reasoned, “Within a decent range of the geyser. Okay, that doesn’t give us a lot to work with, but we’re narrowing it down.”

“I’ve got an address for Rivera,” Gavin spoke up.

“Okay, Ryan and Jeremy on Rivera,” Jack instructed, “Make him give up his info on the driver. Gavin, we have a potential gang color of teal and a member, possible leader, with heterochromia. Does that ring a bell?”

“Bayside Searchers,” Gold piped up, voice barely above a whisper, “If they’re the same, they’re not fans of us.”

“I’ll check into it,” Gavin grunted.

“Great, meantime, everyone else stay out of trouble,” Jack grumbled, “I will seriously start taking out kneecaps if I have to.”

Everyone but her alternate left the conference room. Jack sighed, slumping a bit as she dropped her head in her hands.

“You’re doing better than I would, if it’s any consolation,” Roadkill snorted.

“It’s not really,” Jack muttered, “But I appreciate the thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin is scary.


	6. Chapter 6

Gavin shifted in the passenger seat of Michael’s car. They were headed out to check out the territory claimed by the Searchers to see if they could find anything. But it was deathly quiet and awkward in the car. They hadn’t really spoken since the... _incident._ Gavin thought he should say something, but he didn’t know what. Should he apologize for overreacting? 

“Gav, I appreciate you having my back,” Michael suddenly spoke up, “But you shouldn’t fight yourself. You’ll get weird mental problems.”

Gavin laughed, shaking his head. 

“You always know how to cheer me up,” he mused.

“You’re easy to please, Free,” Michael snorted.

He shifted a bit in his seat, looking suddenly very anxious.

“There’s something I want to tell you,” he murmured.

He was interrupted by a car suddenly ramming into his rear bumper.

“What the fuck??” He exclaimed, glancing back, “The hell is this lunatic doing??”

Gavin turned back to see a truck ram into them a second time. Michael hit the gas to try to outrun them, but they sped up and hit them again. Gavin undid his seat belt and reached under his seat for the rifle there. He hit the window button just as they were bumped again. He nearly slammed right into the dashboard, just barely catching himself. 

He leaned out the window to fire at the truck, quickly cataloguing anything he could about the occupants. There was a driver, a passenger, and then two in the bed of the truck. None of them pointed weapons at Gavin, but they did fire at Michael’s tires. Gavin sprayed bullets into their windshield and they swerved as the driver was hit. He quickly ducked back inside and got his seatbelt on. 

“They’re trying not to kill us for some reason,” he commented, “What use are we to them alive?”

“Don’t ask me,” Michael grumbled, “I look like I know shit? Damn assholes totally wrecked Genie’s ass though.”

“It’s weird what you name your cars, you know?” Gavin snorted.

Michael slugged his arm and he squawked in protest. 

~

“Uh, Ry?” Jeremy spoke up, “You missed the turn. Again.”

Ryan felt like physically trying to shake his pesky thoughts from his head as he took the next turn. Jeremy had adamantly requested not riding on Ryan’s bike, but taking one of the cars instead. He seemed anxious and distant. Ryan didn’t know what he did wrong, but whatever it was he was sorry. 

“You...turned the wrong way,” Jeremy muttered, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Ryan grunted as he took another turn to circle back.

Jeremy sighed.

“You’re not,” he dismissed, “Something’s bothering you. What is it?”

“Something’s bothering _you,”_ Ryan countered.

Jeremy looked over at him in surprise.

“You’re upset because I’m upset?” He clarified.

Ryan nodded confirmation. Jeremy sagged a bit, looking down at his hands in his lap. 

“Seeing the mirrors is really fucking with me,” he confessed quietly, “My brain is all muddled thinking about them. It’s just a crazy situation and we don’t seem to have any control over it.”

“I understand,” Ryan assured him, “It’s... frustrating.”

“Yeah, that’s a good word,” Jeremy agreed, looking up through the windshield, “I’m frustrated. Thanks for listening, I feel better.”

He flashed Ryan a little grateful smile that Ryan returned automatically. _Anything for you, darlin’._

“Any time,” he murmured.

Jeremy looked out the window, still looking a bit distant. He shifted, resting his elbow on the door handle and his head in his hand. The other had dropped to the seat beside his leg. It was curled slightly, but open enough that one could, possibly, place their hand in his. 

Ryan felt sweat on the back of his neck. It was almost as though he was inviting Ryan to reach over and squeeze his hand reassuringly. Ryan wanted to. Normally he would hate touching someone else’s hand, but it was Jeremy’s hand. Jeremy was... _different._

_“Open your eyes, Haywood, before I take what you so desperately desire.”_

Ryan’s hand jerked out in a sharp motion and he gripped Jeremy’s quite hard, quite suddenly. Jeremy jumped in surprise. Ryan’s face was crimson under the mask as he squeezed Jeremy’s hand.

“I-It’s gonna be o-okay,” he stammered.

Jeremy smiled at him and squeezed his hand back.

“I know it will be,” he spoke softly, “Because my Battle Buddy will be with me.”

Ryan’s heart pounded in his chest and he struggled to keep his eyes on the road.

“Always,” he promised.

“Always,” Jeremy agreed.

Some of Ryan’s anxiety lessened, the constricting pressure on his guts easing somewhat.

~

Michael watched the gang bustling about through his binoculars. Most of them had teal bandannas showing in some form. They were unloading some big shipment of drugs. Michael couldn’t tell for sure what all was in there, but it looked like at least coke, molly, and acid based on the packaging. The massive amount of it was the main red flag. 

“Take a look at that,” Michael muttered, passing the binoculars to Gavin, “See something wrong with that picture?”

“Blimey, that’s a lot of product!” Gavin exclaimed, “Their territory isn’t big enough for that much!”

“Which means they’re planning on expanding,” Michael pointed out.

Gavin pulled the binoculars from his face to look over at Michael.

“They’re trying to take over our territory to push their drugs??” He demanded.

He looked away, chewing his lip.

“This is all very worrying,” he mumbled.

“That’s a fucking understatement,” Michael scoffed, “Anyway, should we head back now?”

“Yes, I think so,” Gavin agreed, “I think this is all we need for now.”

Michael started the car and pulled back onto the road. 

“What did you want to tell me earlier?” Gavin suddenly asked.

Michael looked over nervously. 

“Ah, n-nothing,” he muttered, “Doesn’t matter.”

“That usually means it _really_ matters,” Gavin argued.

“I changed my mind,” Michael mumbled, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay.”

Gavin shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, should we pick up food?” He asked.

“Jack said she was getting pizza, don’t you remember?” Michael snorted.

“Oh, right!” Gavin chirped, “I forgot.”

“You are such an idiot,” Michael laughed.

“Rude!”

Michael grabbed at his side and Gavin squealed as he tickled him.

“Micool!” He whined.

Michael just laughed. Gavin harrumphed, sticking his tongue out at him. 

“Oh, hey!” He suddenly exclaimed, “I think they need us alive so we can convince our connections to let them deal in our territory!”

Michael hummed, frowning as he considered it.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” he reasoned, “Though why they think we’d ever fucking do that I have no idea.”

“Maybe they think they can scare us?” Gavin offered, shrugging, “Take the head from our snake and then try to scare the body into submission.”

“Yeah, not likely,” Michael snorted, “More like the body coils around the person who took the head until they fucking choke to death. Assholes.”

“Yeah, we don’t tend to submit very easily,” Gavin agreed.

“We’re all power bottoms,” Michael snickered.

“What is a power bottom?” Gavin wondered.

_Damnit, had to open my dumb fucking mouth._

“Power bottoms take it in the ass, but are still the dominate,” Michael answered gruffly.

“Oh, okay, I didn’t know there was a name for it,” Gavin admitted.

“Well, you’re welcome,” Michael grumbled.

“Are you actually a power bottom?” Gavin asked.

Michael squeezed the steering wheel tightly. _Goddamnit, how do we always end up here??_

“Oh, right, sorry,” Gavin mumbled, “Forget I asked. Anyway, can we pick up food?”

“I just told you Jack got pizza,” Michael pointed out.

“You know I don’t think right when I’m hungry,” Gavin huffed, “Haven’t eaten in like two days.”

“What?!” Michael demanded.

Gavin jumped a bit, startled.

“Er, I was busy?” He offered, “I wasn’t sleeping either. Haven’t slept well in a whole week now.”

Michael glanced at him. Gavin looked tired suddenly, staring forlornly out the window. Like he was powering down. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, not even the first three dozen times it had happened, but it was the first time Gavin said something before someone noticed. Michael felt like his heart was being squeezed. _He must be really bad if he’s mentioning it pretty much unprompted._

“Why don’t we grab some ice cream?” He offered, “You know Steak n’ Shake is still open.”

Gavin brightened a bit.

“Thank goodness for that!” He chirped, “The only ice cream place open 24/7.”

“Really, they’re a gift to mankind,” Michael agreed, “Even if their fries are abominations.”

Gavin laughed and the fist in Michael’s chest relaxed slightly. 

~

Jeremy slammed his fist on the door.

_Bang, bang, bang!_

He heard someone pause something inside the house and come toward the door. It opened to reveal someone in a t-shirt and boxers, scowling at him. 

“Hi there, are you Frankie Rivera?” Jeremy questioned.

“Who wants to know?” Rivera grumbled.

“Rimmy Tim of FAHC, maybe you’ve heard of me?” Jeremy joked, grinning widely.

Rivera stiffened.

“Wh-What do you want?” He asked shakily.

“I just got a few questions about a friend of yours,” Jeremy answered, “Earlier tonight they were driving a black van and happened to pass you on the street. We’d like to know who they are.”

“Two Tone?” Rivera muttered, confusion overshadowing his anxiety, “What do you want with him?”

“He got on our bad side,” Jeremy explained, “Can you tell me anything about him?”

“Er, well, he’s second in command of the Bayside Searchers,” Rivera offered, “Usually he goes along on major deliveries, I assume that’s what he was doing earlier. He’s a decent guy though, got a good head on. Don’t know why he’d try to cross you. He’s smarter than that.”

“What about his boss?” Jeremy prompted.

Rivera’s nose crinkled up.

“His boss, Sawyer, is an asshole,” he muttered, sounding disgusted, “He sells shitty product and goes out of his way to sell to kids. He’s turned Bayside into a festering drug den. Wants to do it across LS.”

_Motive. Bingo._

“Well, thank you for your time,” Jeremy grunted, “You’ve been most helpful.”

He pulled out the bribe money Jack had given him and passed it over.

“Have a pleasant evening!” He chirped.

He waved and headed around the building to get Ryan from where he was guarding the back door. Ryan was leaning against the house, arms crossed, but straightened up, arms dropping as he saw Jeremy. 

“We’re good to go,” Jeremy assured him.

“That was quick,” Ryan commented as Jeremy joined him.

“Don’t you know I’m lightning, darlin’?” Jeremy joked, firing a finger gun at him with a wink.

Ryan laughed, shaking his head.

“Where there’s lightning, there’s thunder,” Jeremy pointed out, before whispering conspiratorially,“That makes _you_ the thunder.”

“Does it now?” Ryan mused.

“Yeah, but don’t get cocky,” Jeremy laughed, “I still go first.”

He jabbed lightly at Ryan’s gut, not actually touching him.

“Watch it, lightning,” Ryan teased.

Jeremy got into a fight stance, putting his fists up.

“I’m too quick for you, you can’t catch me!” He taunted, bouncing back and forth on his feet.

Ryan surprised him by reaching out and gripping the side of his jacket then twisting and pushing him toward the house. Jeremy jolted in surprise as Ryan crowded into his space, pressing him against the house. Ryan never engaged when Jeremy was trying to playfully fight with him. Ryan braced his hand on the house by Jeremy’s head.

“Caught you,” he spoke lowly.

He seized suddenly, growling in pain as Jeremy tased him. He stumbled back as Jeremy pushed him away.

“S-Sorry, sorry,” he huffed, “I-I didn’t mean to-“

“Oh god!” Jeremy exclaimed, “It’s actually you! I-I thought you were your mirror! Oh fuck, are you okay?? I-I’m so sorry!”

“F-Fine,” Ryan grunted, rubbing his ribs where Jeremy stuck him with the taser, “M-My fault.”

“D-Don’t be stupid!” Jeremy snapped, moving towards him, “It’s my fault! Jeez, I didn’t burn you, did I?”

He untucked Ryan’s shirt to lift it. There was redness where he’d tased him, but it didn’t look burnt. Ryan batted his hand away, clearing his throat. 

“R-Right, sorry,” Jeremy muttered, backing off.

He turned, clearing his own throat.

“Better head back now, I guess,” he mumbled. 

They were quiet and Jeremy’s heart pounded in his chest. He felt like his side was burning where Ryan’s arm had pressed against him. Didn’t they touch all the time? Why did it matter suddenly?

~

Jack didn’t think it was a good thing that the alternates all abruptly stopped talking as she entered the living room. She set the stack of pizza boxes on the coffee table. _Great, now I have to worry about their inevitable betrayal._ Though really, she suspected she should’ve been worried about it from the start. She’d just been so damn worried about Geoff she hadn’t been thinking about it. 

She watched them as she sat and they all began eating the pizza. They really weren’t that different from each other, on the surface anyway. Jeremy pressed close to Ryan, chattering about something while Ryan just listened, looking at him like he was the only person in the whole world. Michael grumbled and complained about Gavin bothering him even though _he_ was picking the fights while Gavin squawked and flailed, but still they stayed close together, laughing and grinning at each other. Other Jack watched them in exasperated fondness, shaking her head and smiling softly. 

Jack felt like she was watching her own crew. While the lot of them got much physically closer, the basic dynamics were there. They probably only cared about their partners, but still, it was nice to see the batshit insane sluts seemed to actually give a fuck about each other to some degree. 

Eventually the others rolled in, gathering around to grab pizza and relay their information to Jack. Gavin and Michael had discovered drugs and apparently Jeremy and Ryan had discovered pretty much the same. Ryan and Jeremy were keeping rather far apart from each other while Michael was practically glued to Gavin’s side, actually putting his arm around his shoulders. 

_Goddamnit, now what??_ Jack rubbed her temples. _How am I supposed to keep up with these assholes??_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slut club is seeping deep into the crew’s bones like winter frost. They may never be rid of their influence, even if they finally are rid of their physical presence. 
> 
> Also: Ryan goes for it and gets fucking tased.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack checked her watch, humming in annoyance. _Shouldn’t they be here by now?_ She was tired. She wanted to save Geoff and be done with this already. She was fucking tired. Of course, even after rescuing him, they’d probably have to deal with the betrayal of the alternates too. She would never sleep again, would she? 

The sound of struggling drew her attention and she looked up as Ryan and Michael dragged the target into the workshop. They were closely followed by Jeremy guiding the calm second in command. Ryan and Michael forced the target onto the chair and strapped him in while Jeremy brought the second to her. 

The man known as Two Tone stood before her without trembling. His mismatched eyes looked into hers steadily. The muffled shouting of his boss didn’t even faze him. He was not afraid. Not even anxious. He was just moving forward. But it wasn’t just that the man was fearless. He had known this was an inevitability. He had known they were going to catch up.

“The car was intentional,” Jack guessed, “You wanted the server to identify you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Two Tone answered.

“You used your unique feature to your advantage,” Jack went on, “You knew we’d find you easily once we heard about your eyes.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Two Tone answered.

“You have betrayed your boss,” Jack pointed out, “And gotten the both of you landed in the spider’s web.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Two Tone answered.

“You’re a clever little fly,” Jack mused.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Two Tone answered.

“Gold,” Jack muttered.

Gavin stepped around her and held up a tablet displaying a map of Bone County. 

“Show us,” Jack instructed.

Two Tone lifted his cuffed hands and tapped the screen, placing a marker on the map. 

“Contact your people and tell them to stand down if you want them to make it out alive,” Jack suggested.

“He sent only the most loyal, ma’am,” Two Tone answered, “They won’t listen to me.”

“Very well,” Jack murmured, “Rimmy.”

Jeremy stepped forward and unlocked Two Tone’s cuffs.

“You clean up his mess,” Jack ordered, “And once you gain a good reputation, we’ll consider dealing with you. Until then, stay in your territory. One toe out of line and we crush what remains of the Bayside Searchers, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Two Tone answered, “May I say goodbye?”

“Make it quick,” Jack grunted.

Two Tone turned to his boss and stepped toward him. 

“They were children,” he whispered, emotion filling his voice for the first time since entering, “You deserve what is coming to you. Say hi to dad when they’re done with you, brother.”

With that, he turned and left the workshop. Sawyer thrashed against his restraints, shouting against the tape on his mouth. 

“And I thought _our_ family was dysfunctional,” Jack muttered dryly.

The others snorted, trying to stifle laughter.

“Alright, you guys can come out now,” she called over her shoulder at the door separating the two parts of the workshop.

The alternates filed out and Sawyer’s distressed only ramped up further at seeing two crews. Jack cracked her neck as she picked the crowbar off the workbench. She spun it around in her hand as she walked toward him.

“Here’s the thing, buddy,” she muttered, “Kingpin isn’t just my boss. In fact, I’d say majority of us wouldn’t say he’s just our boss. So when you took him, you took more than a paycheck.”

She swung the crowbar at his knee and he screamed against the tape as his kneecap shattered.

“No one fucks with my family,” she growled, “Least of all my best friend.”

The crowbar shattered his elbow next, then several ribs, and a hand before she moved away, putting it back where it belonged. 

“Now,” she began, “Who’s staying to keep our guest company?”

Vagabond and Gold stepped forward so immediately it seemed practiced. 

“I’m leaving your alternates here with you,” Jack muttered, “There will be no problems from any of the four of you or you will be the next one in the chair. Got it?”

The four made agreeing noises as Michael made a noise of protest. 

“Wait-“ he started.

“No,” Jack cut him off, “It’s even. That’s that. We’re moving out. Everyone with their alternate.”

Michael made another noise of disagreement, but left it as they filed out. _It’s almost over, just a little longer,_ Jack thought tiredly as she slipped into her car. 

“It’s almost over,” her alternate murmured as she slid in as well.

“Just a little longer,” Jack agreed.

~

Gavin’s meter was running low. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep up. He wasn’t as exhausted any more. It had settled into his usual burnt-out feeling. Less tiredness, more just weakness. He’d overworked himself and now his body just didn’t want to move. 

He was still trying to work though, even in his frozen state. He was reading articles on alternate universes. After the incident, he wasn’t curious about their alternates. He just wanted to be rid of them. He wanted them out. Gone. Away from his boi. They brought nothing but trouble.

Unfortunately, one big prevalent theory on alternate universes was that if you did manage to travel to one, you’d better hope you didn’t die. Dying in another universe seemed to be similar to a time paradox in that it could destroy the fabric of the universe. Of course it was all theory, but the idea was that you don’t belong there. If you died, the universe wouldn’t know what to do with you, because you would cease to exist in a universe you didn’t belong in to begin with. 

Many other theories also suggested that it was possible you’d begin to disappear as soon as you crossed from your universe to another. Since you didn’t belong there, you’d simply cease to exist eventually and the longer you were away from your home universe, the more likely you were to “fade away”. This could also trigger the universe death paradox and destroy the universe. Or it was also possible it would work the other way. Your home universe would implode because you ceased to exist completely while not where you belonged. 

Worse yet, it seemed you could destroy both universes this way. The universes would have had to become connected via whatever bridge you crossed to get from one to the other. This meant now that the fates of both universes were intertwined. Therefore if you ceased to exist in the wrong universe and one of them imploded as a result, you would also implode the other universe.

But. They couldn’t just let them stay either.

There were more theories that your mere existence in the wrong universe could cause cataclysmic events as the universe tried to rid itself of you. Essentially you would be a bug the universe wanted squashed and it wouldn’t matter how many other people got in the way. There was even a couple people convinced that the universe would try to eradicate the intruder by killing them and as a result the universe death paradox would still occur. Thus making the universe kill itself accidentally in an effort to correct the anomaly.

There were hundreds of other theories on how to get to get back as well. The simplest of course being to recreate the events right before the the crossover. The more complicated being creating portals and bridging gaps in realities. Gavin’s head was spinning with the possibilities and his whole body groaned with the realization that they’d have to try so many of them. Maybe all of them. 

He sighed, locking his phone and putting it away. He leaned back on the couch and rubbed his eyes. He stared up at the ceiling. He wanted Michael to come back. He wanted to sit hip to hip with his boi and lay his head on his shoulder. Michael always knew how to make him feel better when he was drained. Then again, maybe being away from him was good.

He still didn’t know how to feel about...well, everything involving Michael. He never recalled being so uncertain about his boi. He’d gotten a boner thinking about choking Michael and again thinking about Michael hurting him in return. Then he saw their alternates having sex and Michael’s discomfort. He wanted to explore this new _Thing,_ but he felt insanely guilty for even thinking about it when he knew Michael didn’t like it. 

Plus he still couldn’t wrap his head around it. He really cared about his boi. He didn’t want him to be hurt. Why would he want to hurt Michael when he loved him? Yet. He did. He wanted to. Didn’t that make him bad? Hurting someone you love is bad...isn’t it? He really needed someone other than Michael or their alternates to talk to. He was so muddled up with guilt and confusion. But despite all that, he couldn’t stop thinking. 

Couldn’t stop thinking was actually pretty common for Gavin. He didn’t know how to turn his brain off. It just went on and on and on until it died and forced him to sleep for three straight days to recharge. That’s why he fixated so much on random things that didn’t matter. He just couldn’t stop himself. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Constantly. Like a flowing river. _How long have I been staring at this bloody ceiling?_

The door of the workshop opened and a high-pitched scream shattered Gavin’s silence. The door closed and Gavin weakly lifted his head to see it was Ryan entering. Or Vagabond. Gavin still couldn’t tell the difference. He came over and sat beside him. But he was much closer than usual and immediately pressed his knee against Gavin’s. _Vagabond then._ Gavin was a little wary of the man. Jeremy had looked pretty shaken up last time they’d interacted.

_Wait._ Gavin sat up abruptly. Someone other than Michael or their alternates.

“Hey, you like rough sex,” Gavin spoke up, “But you you’re in love with Jeremy. How does that work?”

~

Ryan stared wide-eyed at the door he’d just come through. He couldn’t breathe. _What the fuck._ He had no idea what the fuck he was supposed to say. He’d come in because he was worried about Gavin, not to have to face something like this. Gavin was not doing so well, especially since the panic attack. But now he’d explicitly pointed out something Ryan barely admitted to himself. _Fuck. If Gavin knows...does...does everyone know??_

“It’s just...isn’t it wrong to hurt someone you care about?” Gavin pressed on apprehensively.

Ryan glanced over at him, concern for the tone of his voice pushing his anxiety aside a moment. Gavin was staring down in his lap, where he was fidgeting with his sleeves. A lightbulb went off in Ryan’s head and his heart squeezed. _This isn’t about me and Jeremy, it’s about Gavin and Michael._

Gavin wanted to be rough with Michael, but he was afraid he was wrong for that desire. Ryan knew what it was like to feel ashamed of his desires. He knew what it was like to feel alone and sick and _wrong._ He didn’t want Gavin to feel that way.

“Hurting someone during sex does not mean you don’t care for them,” he answered carefully.

“So it...it really _is_ normal?” Gavin asked hopefully.

Ryan’s chest couldn’t get any tighter.

“It is,” he confirmed, “Sadism doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person.”

He touched his chest over his heart.

“A sadist can still care for people very deeply,” he added quietly.

“You...really do care about Jeremy a lot, don’t you?” Gavin murmured.

Ryan’s chest ached and his ribs stung where Jeremy had tased him earlier. He felt so small, so weak, so helpless. His hand curled into a fist over his heart.

“My heart belongs to him,” he whispered, “Whether he takes it or not.”

He hated that he let himself say that. He hated the way his voice weakened. He hated what an absolute fool he was. A desperate, terrified, hopeless fool. Jeremy was water, slipping from Ryan’s grasp. He was lightning, always one step ahead. He was a beautiful, unobtainable dream for a blood-stained old vagabond. 

“Oh my god!” Gavin gasped.

Ryan looked at him, eyebrows coming together. Gavin’s hands were lifted in front of his mouth, his eyes wide.

“Ryan,” he breathed, “I...I thought you were your alternate.”

Ryan’s eyes widened back at him. _Fuck. Again. Again?!_ He suddenly flicked open a knife and swiped it across his face.

“There,” he growled as blood dripped down his cheek, “Now everyone will stop mistaking me for that fucking pig.”

“Jesus, Ry!” Gavin exclaimed.

He hurried over to the first aid kit on the wall and brought it back. Ryan hissed as Gavin cleaned the cut with an alcohol wipe.

“I don’t think this was necessary!” Gavin huffed, “Do you really get mistaken for him that often??”

_Only when it counts._ Pain rippled through Ryan’s chest.

“I wasn’t going to kiss him without permission!” He blurted, “I left the gap open for him to close, but he was still so terrified he tased me!”

He slapped his hand over his mouth, eyes wide in alarm. Gavin stared at him in equal shock. They were silent a moment before Gavin spoke again.

“Blimey, I think you’ve said more tonight than in all the years I’ve known you combined,” he muttered.

He cleared his throat, leaning forward to go back to cleaning up the cut. Ryan kept his hand over his mouth, terrified of what he might blurt next. Gavin cleaned and bandaged the cut then leaned back.

“Uh, so...” he mumbled, “Let’s just pretend we didn’t talk at all while we were here.”

Ryan nodded agreement, still not moving his hand.

“But while we’re pretending still...” Gavin added, “I’m sure Jeremy wasn’t scared of you. I mean, I don’t think he’s even scared of Vagabond, more disgusted and angry. But the thing is, you don’t touch people, Ry. When you bumped our knees together, I thought there was no way it was you. I don’t think Jeremy ever imagined you’d actually want to kiss him. You didn’t scare him, you surprised him. And you know surprising a wild animal is never a good idea. They tend to react violently.”

_Yeah...actually that made sense._ Ryan had been worried about the wrong thing, hadn’t he? 

“Maybe don’t spring it on him randomly next time, eh?” Gavin suggested.

_Should there be a next time?_ Gavin cleared his throat and got up to toss the trash and put the first aid kid back. Ryan slowly lowered his hand as Gavin came back and sat down. He hesitated a moment before getting his phone out and texting Gavin a series of links, resources on BDSM and how to be safe. Gavin looked at them, glanced at him, and smiled. Ryan returned the smile, blushing a bit, then bumped their knees back together. 

~

Geoff heard the distant sound of fighting and smiled. _Record time._

“They work quick, your family,” Other mused, “Don’t suppose they’ll give me a ride back?”

“You’ll be lucky if they leave you with your kneecaps,” Geoff snorted.

“Fair enough,” Other laughed, “I did kidnap you first.”

“You’re not helping your case by reminding me,” Geoff pointed out.

“As if you’d have forgotten,” Other teased, “It was very romantic, remember?”

“I don’t recall romance,” Geoff grumbled, “I recall dubious consent, Vagabond jerking off while pretending I was you, and then the promise of a date that never got fulfilled.”

“What’re you talking about?” Other huffed, “This _was_ the date. Didn’t you have fun?”

“Watching heterochromia sock you in the guts was fun,” Geoff offered.

Other laughed, shaking his head.

“You’ll miss me when I’m gone,” he insisted.

“In your fucking dreams,” Geoff sneered.

_Bang, bang!_

The basement door flew open and slammed against the wall. Two identical figures hurried down the stairs to them. Jack dropped to a crouch beside Geoff, eyes full of worry as she fumbled to cut him loose.

“Hey, Jacky,” Geoff greeted softly as the ropes came free, “You miss me?”

Jack slugged his arm with a scowl.

“Of course I missed you, you dick!” She huffed.

“You...came,” Other whispered.

“‘Course I did,” other Jack muttered, “Don’t you remember what they called me back home? Jacky, the loyal little bitch.”

Geoff winced as Jack helped him up. _Yikes._

“I-I was going to-“ Other started as other Jack helped him up.

“Don’t you fucking start!” other Jack spat, “I’m sick of your fucking talking! I don’t even care if it’s a lie or the truth any more! I feel like I’m going to fucking puke if I have to hear any more of your fucking bullshit!”

Other remained quiet as they followed Geoff and Jack from the basement. Geoff tried not to wince again. _Ouch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh.


	8. Chapter 8

Ryan and Gavin were outside, waiting for them when the rest of them drove up to the workshop. Jeremy felt himself relax a bit when he saw the two of them. He didn't realize he'd been anxious leaving them alone with their alternates. Gavin turned slightly to Ryan and said something. Ryan nodded at him, smiling lightly and then shocked the hell out of everyone by ruffling Gavin's hair. Gavin grinned brightly at him.

"What the fuck?!" Jeremy shouted way too loudly.

"What the hell did I miss??" Geoff wondered wildly.

"That is the real them, isn't it?" Jeremy grunted.

"Yes," Michael grumbled, "Well, that's definitely Gavin."

"Why's Ryan's face bandaged?" Jack spoke up as she parked.

"We were gone for what, two hours?" Jeremy huffed, "What the fuck?!"

He nearly tripped over himself in his haste to get out of the car. Michael was right behind him as they scurried over to the other two. 

"What happened?!" They both demanded.

"Nothing really," Gavin answered, shrugging, "Vagabond and Gold finished awhile ago and just left. Well, they said goodbye first."

"What happened to your face?!" Jeremy grumbled, reaching toward Ryan's bandaged cheek, "It was fucking Vagabond, wasn't it?! I'll murder him!"

"I cut it," Ryan dismissed. 

Jeremy froze as his fingers touched the bandage. _He hurt himself. Why would he do that? Why would he hurt himself??_ He was overcome with desire to fix whatever was wrong and launched at him. Ryan stumbled back and nearly fell on his ass as Jeremy tackled him, hugging him tightly around the neck.

"Wh-Why would you do that?!" Jeremy cried, "Don't do that!"

Ryan hesitantly put his arms around Jeremy like he always did when Jeremy hugged him.

"Okay," he murmured.

"S-Sorry, I hugged you again," Jeremy sniffled, pulling back.

Ryan looked like he wanted to say something, but the look blanked quickly.

"Geoff?" He prompted.

"He's in the van," Jeremy assured him. 

"Guess again," Geoff snorted behind him.

Jeremy turned to flip him off. 

~

Michael was staring at Gavin as he moved to hug Geoff.

"I knew you'd be fine!" He exclaimed.

"'Course I'm fine," Geoff muttered, squeezing Gavin close to him, "But I missed being around the normal yous."

Michael was confused. Gavin looked better than how he'd left him. Why was he _better?_ Why was Ryan reacting positively to him like that? What the hell happened while they were gone??

"Any funny, weird stories to tell us?" Gavin laughed as he pulled back.

Geoff glanced at Ryan and cleared his throat.

"Nope!" He blurted a bit too loudly.

They all looked at him dryly and he chuckled nervously. 

"Other me _did_ take me on a date," he muttered, "That was weird. Anyway, who cares? I'm just glad to be back."

He chuckled again.

"Let's go home, yeah?" He suggested.

He stumbled on his way back to the van with Jack.

"Dude, what the hell did other you do to Geoff?" Jeremy asked Ryan as the four of them watched the van leave.

"Nothing good," Ryan figured.

"Definitely sexual though, right?" Gavin snorted.

"Knowing Vagabond, probably," Jeremy agreed, "Dude is a total creep."

"Who cares?" Michael grunted, "Let's go home, Gav."

"Right!" Gavin chirped, "I am knackered."

"Speak English," Michael grumbled as he led the way to his car.

"Wot?!"

Michael was squeezing the steering wheel tightly as he started driving Gavin home.

"What's wrong, boi?" Gavin asked.

"Nothing," Michael growled, "Everything's fucking fine. Perfect. _Daisies."_

"Did...I do something wrong?" Gavin murmured.

Michael sighed, anger draining out of him at Gavin's apprehensive tone.

"No, it's just..." he muttered, "What happened while we were gone? Ryan was like fucking _petting_ you when we showed up."

"Nothing happened," Gavin hastily denied.

Anger surged back into Michael's chest.

"Don't fucking lie to me!" he snapped.

Gavin fidgeted nervously.

"Me and Ryan had a...discussion," he mumbled, "A private one."

"You had a discussion with Ryan?" Michael snorted, rolling his eyes, "The hell did I _just_ say about lying?"

"We did!" Gavin protested, "I mean, he talked more than he usually does, but still less than most people, I think."

Michael glanced at him. He was telling the truth. They'd had a private conversation, that was it. Michael relaxed a bit, sighing. _Your jealousy is astounding, Jones. Get your fucking head on right._

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I was being stupid. I'm sorry."

"Why were you mad?" Gavin wondered.

Michael ground his teeth nervously a moment.

"I just thought...you might be getting closer to Ryan," he admitted.

"Well, I think we did sort of?" Gavin answered, "But it's not like he can replace you."

Michael blushed. 

"No one can replace my boi," Gavin assured him brightly, "Not even your alternate."

Michael's blush worsened though his heart felt like it was floating.

"Th-Thanks," he grumbled, "You too."

"Aww, you're so sweet, boi!" Gavin cooed.

He tried to hug Michael around the middle and Michael shoved at him.

"Asshole, I'm driving!" He huffed.

Gavin laughed, grinning at him. How the hell was Michael meant to be mad at him when he looked like sunshine?

~

Jeremy hesitated, hand on the car's door handle. Ryan suppressed a sigh as he killed the engine. 

"I cut my face so no one could mistake me for him again," he confessed quietly.

Jeremy stiffened, his head whipping around. His face was twisted up in guilt and despair. 

"Ryan!" He shouted, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I-I'm so sorry!"

"Not your fault," Ryan assured him.

"I-It _is!"_ Jeremy insisted, "I-I shouldn't have tased you! I-I'm so sorry! I-I sh-should've known it was y-you!"

"We look identical," Ryan dismissed.

"But I should be able to tell!" Jeremy shrieked.

Ryan shook his head.

"We're identical," he reiterated. 

"But _you_ can tell!" Jeremy cried, "Y-You can tell!"

His tightly clenched fists were shaking and his eyes were shining. Ryan felt a slice of pain in his chest. _I'm sorry,_ was his reflex. He reached out, hesitating before his arms closed around Jeremy and he pulled him as close as he could over the center console. Jeremy jolted in surprise.

"It's not your fault," Ryan insisted.

Jeremy was frozen a moment before putting his arms around Ryan and burying his face in his shoulder. 

"Please don't tase me," Ryan muttered.

Jeremy snorted.

"Asshole!" He laughed.

Ryan smiled, relaxing a bit as they pulled back. They stayed close, Ryan's hands moving from Jeremy's back to his waist and Jeremy's hands laying lightly over Ryan's shoulders. Ryan's breathing caught in his throat and his face flushed at how close they were. How easy it would be to kiss him. Tilt his head slightly and lean forward. Easy. Just a little push. That's all it would take. 

_Maybe don’t spring it on him randomly next time, eh?_

Ryan cleared his throat, shifting a bit.

"I..." he started.

_Come on. Words. You know them. Use them._

"You...?" Jeremy prompted.

"I..." Ryan tried again.

He swallowed nervously, eyes dropping away from Jeremy as he struggled. _Words. You have a dictionary of words in your mind, Haywood, just fucking use them!_

"I..." 

"Ryan," Jeremy spoke softly.

Ryan looked up, meeting his eyes nervously. Jeremy shifted forward.

"You...really were trying to kiss me earlier...weren't you?" He whispered.

Ryan nodded dumbly, unable to make even "yes" come out of his mouth. 

"Okay," Jeremy mumbled.

 _Okay? Okay what?_ He closed the distance and Ryan's eyes widened as Jeremy kissed him. _He went the whole distance on his own. He kissed me. No, he's **kissing** me. It's still happening. It's happening. I should be doing something, shouldn't I?_ Jeremy pulled back before Ryan could get his brain to catch up. 

"W-Well, um, g-good night then!" Jeremy stammered, opening the door. 

Ryan reached for him as he hurriedly fled from his car. _Wait, wait! I wasn't ready!_ Ryan sighed, head dropping. _Damnit._ He covered his face. _Damnit!_

~

"No, but really, what did Vagabond do to you?" Jack asked as she parked.

Geoff chuckled nervously, shifting in his seat.

"Uh...don't tell the others," he muttered, "But he, uh, jerked off, pretending I was other me."

Jack turned to look at him, eyebrows up and lips parted in surprise.

"Vagabond," she grunted, "The guy who totally hates other you?"

"Yeah, I think it's not about physical attraction exactly?" Geoff offered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I, uh, got the feeling he likes the power play aspect of fucking other me."

"Well, yeah, I guess that makes sense," Jack snorted, "He's a creepy fucker."

"Yeah and other Jeremy too," Geoff agreed, "Creepier than I first thought. They were talking about cutting up some victim while groping each other."

"Victim?" Jack repeated, "Oh, shit. That was Jeremy. They broke into his place."

Geoff winced. 

"Jesus," he grumbled, "We should be worried that they just disappeared quietly, shouldn't we?"

"Oh, yes," Jack answered, nodding, "The temporary alliance meant nothing."

"Figures," Geoff grunted.

Jack tapped the steering wheel, hesitating to get out. Geoff raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Sticking together is what makes us strong," she murmured, "And...I'm not good at this shit, Geoff. I love you, okay?"

"I love you too, Jacky," Geoff answered, face warm.

"No, idiot," Jack grumbled, "I mean I love you. Fully. _Romantically."_

Geoff stared at her in surprise, his throat tight. _What?_ He couldn't understand. This was not something he'd ever expected. Jack was...asexual and aromantic as far as he knew. But...there was no lie in her eyes or hint of joking as she looked at him. Just a bit of apprehension.

"You'll have to give me time," She mumbled, "Let me ease into it. This is...new to me, okay?"

"Okay," Geoff agreed, voice coming out in a whisper.

She smiled weakly. 

"So...you're my boyfriend now," she spoke quietly, but firmly, "And this is monogamous. I will break your face if I catch you with someone else."

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Geoff chuckled nervously, "Could I...kiss you?"

She nodded slowly, leaning toward him. He pressed his lips to hers quickly, almost afraid that doing so would shatter the beautiful dream he'd just fallen into. Jack pressed back, but there was a hesitance to her movements that had Geoff backing off pretty quick. He didn't want to push her. She gave him the weak smile again. Geoff thought he could've burst into a million tiny pieces. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smooches. 😘😘😘


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: brief joking “daddy” mention

“Geoff.”

Geoff jumped and spun, pointing his gun at Ryan. 

“What the fuck are you doing??” He demanded, “Creeping around in my office! Scared the shit out of me!”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan murmured.

Geoff hesitantly holstered his gun, suddenly hyper aware that they were in a room alone. 

“Take your mask off,” he ordered, moving around his desk.

“Yes, sir.”

Ryan pulled the mask off as he stepped forward. Geoff relaxed at the sight of the bandage on Ryan’s face as he sat. _Okay. Ryan. Not his alternate._ He glanced down and quickly away. _Do they...? Nope. Nope. Nu-uh. Not thinking of that._

“Are you going to sit?” He grunted.

Ryan sat across the desk from him. Geoff raised an eyebrow at him as he waited. It wasn’t unusual for them to not speak for several moments while Ryan collected his words and arranged them how he wanted. For once though, Geoff could see a nervous edge to the set of Ryan’s shoulders. Like he was struggling not to show how nervous he was. A rarity. Ryan was the picture of control usually.

“Did Vagabond...” he finally started, _“Hurt_ you?”

He hesitantly met Geoff’s eyes.

“No, he didn’t,” Geoff answered.

Ryan brightened slightly, leaning forward.

“Then can you tell me what he was like?” He questioned, “Was he...skilled?”

“Uh, what?” Geoff grunted, “I’m confused.”

“Vagabond, did you enjoy being with him?” Ryan clarified, “Did he make you feel good?”

He suddenly stood, leaning over the desk to grip at Geoff’s sleeve.

“How did he- _did_ he kiss you??” He demanded, “Was-Was he good at it??”

_What._ Geoff went crimson as he suddenly realized what.

“I-I didn’t fuck him!” He blurted.

“No, I assume you received,” Ryan agreed.

“No!” Geoff shouted, “I didn’t have sex with him!”

“Oh...oh, I see,” Ryan murmured, retracting his hand, “Then did his...partner look like they were enjoying themselves?”

“H-He jerked off in front of me!” Geoff hurried to explain, “He had me role play that I didn’t want him but that he forced me to do as he said. Th-That’s it.”

_No more misunderstandings please!_ There was a pause of quiet.

“How...H-How big is he?” Ryan finally asked hesitantly.

“Fucking _big,”_ Geoff blurted before he could stop himself.

Ryan cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I...I want to know if I...compare,” he murmured.

Geoff’s blush reheated on his face. 

“First of all, fucking why?” He muttered.

“I...” Ryan started, shifting a bit, “I...think I may have ruined my chances. I want to know if I...stack up.” 

Geoff sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. _So he must’ve had some close encounter with Jeremy._ An encounter he’d screwed up apparently. Now he was feeling inadequate and wanted reassurances that his other wasn’t better than him. _Oh boy._ Ryan was rubbing his hand over his knuckles, shifting slightly. _He must be really depressed if he’s coming to me for reassurances on sex skills and dick size._ Not to mention he was showing more emotion than Geoff had _ever_ seen from him before. 

Despite how utterly bizarre the situation was, Geoff actually felt a bit of warmth in his heart. Ryan never came to him for things like this. As far as he could tell, Ryan never went to _anyone_ for things like this. It meant a lot that Ryan trusted him enough to come to him while vulnerable and if he denied him now, there was a good chance Ryan would close up to him again. Geoff sighed. _What a fucking day I’m having so far._

“Well, fine then,” he grumbled, “Take it out and I’ll tell you.”

“Wh-Oh,” Ryan grunted, “Uh, y-yes, sir.”

Geoff felt a thrill, like a spark of electricity go through him as Ryan fumbled with his belt and jeans. _Fuck._ Ryan was blushing as he took his dick out, hesitating as he let go of it to let it hang out of his jeans. Geoff’s breath caught in his throat. _Fuck. It is the same._

“It’s...it’s the same,” Geoff mumbled.

Ryan’s hand moved toward his dick and he looked down, but he paused in what Geoff assumed was the action of putting himself away. 

“Then I...I _am_ big?” He murmured.

“You’re hung like a fucking horse, dude,” Geoff snorted, trying to lighten the mood.

Unfortunately, telling Ryan he was hung turned him on apparently. Geoff watched with entirely too much enthusiasm as Ryan’s body and cock stiffened. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. Before either of them could move, speak, or blink, Gavin was bursting into the room and rushing over. Geoff winced as Ryan’s face went even redder and he froze, unable to come up with any action he should take. Geoff could practically see a buffering symbol over Ryan’s face.

“Geoff, we need to-“ Gavin started.

He stopped as he noticed Ryan just standing there, dick out and hands hovering, totally frozen. Gavin’s eyes widened.

“Bloody hell!” He exclaimed, “Is that thing human?? Looks like it belongs on a bloody horse!”

“That thing” jumped up higher which finally woke Ryan up enough to get him to hurriedly stuff it back where it belonged, with some difficulty. Gavin looked up at his blushing face then around at Geoff who really had no explanation. How to properly explain that your friend was feeling inadequate so you agreed to look at his dick to reassure him? And also you were definitely into it, but no one needed to know that.

“Uh, anyway,” Gavin muttered, clearing his throat, “We need to talk about the others. I did a bunch of research on alternate realities and when I woke up this morning I realized I hadn’t bloody told anyone the most important thing!”

“Which is what?” Geoff pressed, not looking at where Ryan was now struggling to look passive and calm.

“The others, if they die we could trigger the universe death paradox!” Gavin exclaimed.

“I thought paradoxes were time based?” Geoff grumbled.

“It’s the best word I’ve got!” Gavin huffed, “Anyway, we need to make sure they don’t die and then we need to get them home before the universe goes mental!”

“They’re about to betray us,” Geoff grunted, sitting up straighter, “So it’s going to be rough not killing them.”

“Yeah, Jack said something similar,” Gavin replied, “Before she ran off.”

“She ran off??” Geoff demanded, abruptly standing, “What do you mean she ran off??”

“She went pale and said “oh fuck I’ve got to stop her” then sprinted to the garage,” Gavin answered, “I assume to track down Roadkill.”

“You should’ve led with that!” Geoff shouted, voice cracking, “Ry, grab the others and get to the garage.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ryan hurried off and Geoff refocused on Gavin.

“If you tell anyone what you saw, I’m breaking both of your legs,” he warned lowly.

“Heh, d-don’t know what you’re on about,” Gavin chuckled nervously, “What I saw? D-Didn’t see anything.”

“Good.”

~

Ryan was struggling to focus on retrieving Michael and Jeremy. This was Geoff’s fault, the bastard. He was the one that ordered Ryan to take his dick out. Ryan was expecting Geoff to give him dimensions not look at _his_ dick. Actually it was mostly Ryan’s fault though. He shouldn't have even gone to Geoff asking questions. He was jumbled with this new feeling of utter inadequacy after failing to kiss Jeremy like a normal human being. 

He’d known emotionally and mentally he wasn’t good enough, but now there was a whole host of physical inadequacies as well. He hadn’t really thought about whether or not he could _physically_ please Jeremy. He supposed he just never thought he'd ever manage to get to that point. 

He thought he'd pleased previous partners, but with Jeremy it was different. With Jeremy he'd started to doubt all previous interactions he'd had. _Was_ he an adequate size? _Was_ he any good? _Could_ he fucking kiss like a normal fucking person?? Worse yet was now things had changed again. Now he had to be better than...

_ You can’t give him what he needs. He needs me. _

_ I already know your Jeremy ten times better than he knows himself. _

_ Open your eyes, Haywood, before I take what you so desperately desire. _

Ryan slammed into a heavy body, sending both of them reeling back. 

“Oh, R-Ry, sorry!” Jeremy grunted, “I totally wasn’t paying attention! Why are you jogging around corners though?”

“Jack left,” Ryan grunted, trying to look everywhere but Jeremy, “We’re going after her.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Jeremy muttered, “That’s unusual.”

They went quiet and Ryan was desperate to come up with something to say. _Words. Words. I know words. I use them all the time._

“Your fly is down,” Jeremy pointed out.

Ryan blushed as he recalled why it was down and quickly zipped it with shaking fingers. 

“Anyway, I’m off to the garage!” Jeremy announced, moving around him.

“Right.”

Ryan shook his head and continued on to Michael’s office, trying not to think about Jeremy or Geoff. Jeremy wouldn't see Vagabond even if Ryan didn't give him what he wanted. Would he? He wouldn't...probably. Ryan walked past Michael's door and had to backtrack. He shook his head more firmly, doing a better of job of clearing it. _Worry about that later, we have universe-sized problems right now._ He knocked on Michael's door and opened it a little ways.

"Come in," Michael called.

Ryan pushed the door open and stepped inside. He immediately had to duck to dodge a baseball bat swinging at his head. 

"Ah, shit, you're the wrong one," Mogar grunted, "Well, hopefully that doesn't fuck everything up."

Ryan had many questions. He tackled Mogar around the middle, taking him by surprise and slamming him into the wall. He wheezed and the baseball bat went flying, clattering against the floor. 

"Shitfuckass!" He spat as he fired off a kidney shot, "You fuckin' dickwad!"

Ryan grunted as the blow landed and slammed his own hook into Mogar's ribs. Ryan felt something move not the way it was meant to under his knuckles and Mogar gasped sharply. He gripped at Ryan's shoulder more like he needed support than trying to hurt him. _Broken rib?_ Ryan shoved his palm against it, hoping it wouldn't puncture the guy's lung.

"Where is Michael?" He growled.

Mogar clawed at his face, catching the bandages and Ryan hissed. He shifted and shoved his forearm into Mogar's throat. 

"Where. Is. Michael?" He snarled.

"A-Alive!" Mogar wheezed. 

Ryan pulled back.

"You'll behave," he spoke lowly, "Or I'll finish his job on your ribs."

"Sh-Should I be a good boy for you, sir?" Mogar sneered.

Ryan rolled his eyes as he turned him around. He patted him down and took his hip piece off him, tucking it in his own jeans. He found a butterfly knife on him too, but nothing else of note. He took out his handcuffs and locked one side over his wrist.

"You carry handcuffs?" Mogar huffed, "Th-That's fuckin' hot."

"Quiet," Ryan hissed as he locked on the other side.

 _Why did he only have a bat and a single gun?_ Ryan's guts clamped with cold anxiety. _Because he has backup._

~

Gavin paced around in the garage, waiting for the others to show up. What if Jack misunderstood and she tried to kill Roadkill? What if they saw her coming and killed her? _Relax. Relax. We're going to fix it. We're going to fix it._

"Hey, what's going on?" Jeremy asked as he joined Gavin.

"We're going after Jack," Gavin answered, not stopping pacing.

"What're you, Ry?" Jeremy snorted, _"Why_ are we going after Jack?"

"So there's this thing," Gavin explained in a rush, "Calling it the universe death paradox. Basically if any of our alternates die, it could destroy the fabric of this universe and theirs."

"What about us?" Jeremy prompted, "We're okay, right?"

"Huh?" Gavin grunted.

"I mean, if we die, is our universe safe?" Jeremy clarified.

"Yes," Gavin assured, "But it's possible that our alternates killing us could trigger a paradox as well. Since they don't belong here, any action they take could destroy this universe."

 _"Any_ action?" Jeremy pressed.

"It's all theory, but the universe has no room for them, they don't belong," Gavin muttered, his pacing becoming more frantic, "My boi has totally muddled me! I was worrying about him this whole time! Oh god, the universe could implode at any moment!"

"That's gonna be a problem," Jeremy agreed.

"No shit!" Gavin shrieked, gripping at his hair, "And Geoff and Ryan! What the bloody hell was that about?!"

"What the fuck are you talking about now?" Jeremy wondered.

"I-I can't say," Gavin muttered, "Shouldn't have said even that."

_I like my legs unbroken, thank you very much. But really. What the fuck. First of all why?? Second of all, like a fucking horse!! Third of all, what the fuck?! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!_

"You good, dude?" Jeremy asked.

Gavin moved over to him and dropped his head on his shoulder.

"No!" He cried, putting his arms around Jeremy, "I need a hug."

Jeremy put his arms around him in turn and Gavin frowned. _Who...?_ He pulled back. Jeremy's eyebrows came together like he was concerned.

"You're not Jeremy!" Gavin exclaimed. 

He staggered back to avoid the fist swinging at his face.

"Figured it out, did you?" Rimmy mused, as he advanced on Gavin, "I managed to fool the cuck, but not you. Got any secrets with Jeremy I should know about?"

"No, your hugs just suck!" Gavin huffed, twisting to avoid a jab, "What did you do with Jeremy??"

"Always the same, you lot," Rimmy sneered, "Running away and bitching about your pathetic friends."

Gavin bumped into a car bumper, startling himself and unfortunately giving Rimmy the opportunity to grab him and slam him into the hood. 

"Where's Jeremy?" He mockingly whined, "What'd you do with Jeremy? Who cares what happens to that pathetic weakling?"

"I do!" Gavin snarled, slamming a hook into Rimmy's face.

Rimmy grunted, his head turning, but little else actually happening. _Well. I had a good run._ Gavin threw up his arms to block the sudden hail of blows Rimmy sent at his face. They were such hard hits Gavin actually worried he might break his arm. A crack and a sharp pain firing up his arm seemed to indicate this was not an unfounded fear. Suddenly, before Gavin could get his head back in the game and stop being terrified of what would happen if one of those blows landed on his face, Rimmy stopped and turned. Then he seized suddenly and dropped. Gavin scrambled sideways to see Ryan had a taser in one hand and Michael's arm in the other.

"Geoff?" Ryan prompted.

"H-He went ahead," Gavin huffed.

"Injured?"

"C-Cracked my arm," Gavin grunted, "Th-That's Mogar?"

Ryan nodded.

"Can you cuff him?" He questioned, jerking his chin to Rimmy.

Gavin nodded and quickly hopped to it, disarming him before getting his cuffs out. When Rimmy got his breath back, he started to move like he'd fight Gavin, but Ryan squeezed the trigger again. He growled as he seized. His head dropped and he slumped as the second shock completed, letting Gavin finish cuffing him.

"Harder, daddy," he rasped. 

"Quiet," Ryan hissed.

He shoved the two alternates into the back of one of the vans before splinting Gavin's arm.

"Are you okay?" He muttered when he finished.

"N-No, no I'm not okay!" Gavin huffed, "I-I just wanna-I just want-!"

He covered his face, suddenly overcome.

"I-I can't do this!" He cried, "Th-There's so much! I can't handle this!"

Ryan pulled him into a hug, startling him, but he gripped tightly at the back of his jacket, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Shh, I've got you," Ryan soothed.

It was the stiffest, most hesitant hug Gavin had ever experienced, but it was also the best hug ever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dick comparing incident brought to you by a real life interaction between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway wherein Fitzgerald said he thought his dick was small and Hemingway was like “well, whip it out, we’ll see”. So. You’re welcome.


	10. Chapter 10

Michael touched Jeremy’s forehead gently. He was pale and shivering, his skin ice cold. He’d lost a lot of blood. Michael was surprised that of the two pairs, Vagabond and Rimmy went easier on him than Gold and Mogar did on Jeremy. Vagabond had chewed Mogar out pretty badly when they’d shown up and dropped Michael next to Jeremy. Turned out Jeremy had fucked Mogar up pretty badly in return though, because of course he did. He was the strongest of all of them.

Jeremy gripped weakly at Michael’s shirt, whimpering. Michael pulled him closer, rubbing his back gently.

“I got ya, buddy,” he murmured, “Don’t worry.”

At least they’d patched up Jeremy’s wound. Michael had had better nights and better days as well. He was exhausted from the fight and from sitting in this basement worrying about Jeremy. It wouldn’t take the others long to figure out they were missing though, when they didn’t show up for work. Michael brushed a shaky hand through Jeremy’s hair. _Hurry guys, please._  


Suddenly the door to the concrete room they were being held in burst open. Roadkill strode in, looking pissed and Kingpin followed after her, looking frustrated and anxious. Roadkill pressed her hands together in front of her mouth and closed her eyes like she was praying. 

“They’re going to figure this out immediately,” she spoke lowly, “They figure this shit out all the time, do you really think this will fool them??”

“It’s not supposed to last long,” King snorted, “Just long enough for Mogar to take down Gold’s alternate. As long as he’s down, we’ll be fine.”

Something clicked in Michael’s head and icy fear shivered through his aching body. He looked down at Jeremy, at how badly Mogar had fucked him up. _Gavin..._

“Were you actually being considerate by not talking to me or did you use that as a fucking excuse to get away with this shit?” Roadkill asked King, as she glared at him.

King sighed.

“I was hoping to surprise you by offing my other,” he admitted, “To prove to you that I care for you more than him. To prove I’m sorry for abandoning you.”

He reached for her hand but she recoiled, smacking his hand away. 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” She spat, “You’re not getting away with bullshit by squeezing my hand and reassuring me any more!”

“Jack, please, I-I’m really trying!” King pleaded, “I...as soon as we left, as soon as I turned my back on you, I knew I did the wrong thing! Realizing you weren’t just waiting around a corner, I...I realized I loved you. More than anyone or anything. I had Gold searching for you, I...”

He paused, looking down, shoulders dropping.

“I went out on purpose,” he admitted quietly, “I thought Gold’s other would find me. I thought I could get to you and we could bust out together.”

“You’re...You’re lying,” Roadkill whispered, though she sounded unsure.

King squeezed his bicep nervously.

“I love you, Jack,” he murmured, “I’m sorry it took all this for me to finally realize it.”

Roadkill shifted back a step, looking hesitant. Her face was screwed up like she was confused, unsure. King looked back up with a crooked smile.

“I-I was thinking...” he mumbled.

He lowered down to one knee.

“Maybe we could get married?” He offered softly.

This was apparently _not_ a good move as Roadkill’s face hardened and she drew her gun.

“No, you’re not going to manipulate me,” she growled, “I’m sick of your existence. I’ve heard enough of your fucking bullshit.”

King opened his mouth like he’d argue, but closed it again with a sigh. Roadkill flicked the safety off the handgun.

“I’m at your service, Miss Pattillo,” King whispered.

Roadkill’s hand shook and she lifted the other to steady the gun. Her face was full of conflict and she took a moment to steady herself.

“One apology doesn’t make up for all you’ve done,” she insisted.

She sounded like she was convincing herself.

“Of course,” King agreed, “I’ve always known I would end up on the wrong end of a gun barrel. Yours is the most deserving, considering how I’ve treated you.”

Roadkill puffed out an even breath and finally fully steadied herself. There was a commotion from somewhere else in the building that Michael could hear through the open door. _They’re here._ Roadkill glanced at the door, but didn’t waver, shaking her head slightly as if deciding nothing would stop her from this.

“Goodbye from loyal little Jacky,” she breathed.

She squeezed the trigger.

~

“Jack, Jack, stop!” Geoff hissed as he hurried out of his car.

“I can’t!” Jack threw back at him, “There’s no time!”

Geoff grabbed her hand.

“Wait, just wait!” He huffed, “They’ll probably kill you on sight!”

Jack paused, finally looking back at him. Her eyes were filled with uncertainty.

“She’s going to kill him,” she explained, “If she kills him, everyone dies! That’s what Gavin said!”

“She told you she was going to kill him?” Geoff grunted, surprised.

Jack nodded. 

“Fuck, that _is_ a problem,” Geoff muttered, “But we can’t just go running in. We need a plan to not get shot immediately or else we’ll be no help at all.”

Right on cue, a black van skidded to a halt nearby and Gavin scrambled out, rushing toward them. Ryan followed after him at a more leisurely pace, though his face was screwed up in anxiousness. Geoff practically flinched at the look.

“They have Jeremy and Micool!” Gavin blurted as he joined them, “Rimmy and Mogar took their places!”

“Jesus fucking Christ, this is a nightmare!” Geoff groaned, rubbing his face tiredly, “Okay, if we’ve got Rimmy and Mogar, they’ll be easy enough to distract. If we make a big enough commotion out front, Ryan can slip in the back.”

He pulled out his phone to draw up a quick little map. He pointed out a back entrance and where they’d held him. 

“I-I want to go with Ry,” Gavin spoke up, “Micool and Jeremy are injured, they’ll need help getting out.”

“I should go,” Jack spoke up, “No way you could carry one of them if needed. Especially not with a fucking broken arm.”

“No, you have to be with me,” Geoff dismissed, “It’ll look suspicious if I show up without you. We don’t have time for another plan. We have no idea if they’re planning on killing them and we can’t just storm in. This is the best we’ve got.”

They split up, Ryan and Gavin skirting around the perimeter while Jack and Geoff hauled Rimmy and Mogar from the van. They gave each other a worried glance as they started toward the front of the building with their hostages. 

Geoff had to admit this was probably in the top ten dumbest situations they’d gotten into. 

~

Gavin’s hands were shaking as he fumbled with the lockpicks. Ryan took them from him and pushed him aside to pick the lock himself. Gavin wished he wasn’t so damn useless. _Can’t pick locks. Cant fight Rimmy off. Can’t properly save my boi._ He could feel his shutdown sequence beginning like a countdown. Really, it was about time. He’d only been fighting if off all bloody week. He was sure he was about ten minutes out from a completely powering down. If they didn’t get in and out in that time, he was SOL.

Ryan got the door open and peeked into the building. They could hear the distant sounds of Geoff shouting at Vagabond who was threatening to castrate him if he didn’t unhand his property as they crept into the building. Gavin’s heart was pounding in his chest as Ryan led the way, using Geoff’s little map. The place was an abandoned office building, it looked like. It was no wonder they hadn’t found them, they were squatting in a terrible location. That’s obviously why they did it.

They made it to the basement in five minutes. Gavin was sweating badly. A relentless pounding in his brain was bearing down on him. It was too much. There was too much. He couldn’t do this. The entire fucking universe was at stake. Though he’d be lying if he said that was the biggest thing on his mind as they wound through the labyrinth of a basement. 

Michael was at the forefront of his mind. _As always._ His grin. His pretty freckles. His fiery eyes. His unstoppable fury and his gentle care. If the alternates had tried to replace them, was it possible his boi was already dead? His face grey, eyes like glass, his fire snuffed out? Gavin’s timer was at two minutes as they heard voices.

“No, you’re not going to manipulate me,” Jack growled, “I’m sick of your existence. I’ve heard enough of your fucking bullshit.”

Gavin frowned, feeling dizzy. _What’s Jack doing down here?_ He rubbed his forehead as they moved closer. _Alternates, right. This was Roadkill._ Ryan stopped near an open door. Gavin wavered. He could hear the sounds of others coming down into the basement, their shouting echoing through the basement. He gripped at Ryan’s arm, swaying. 

_ Thirty seconds. _

The universe was imploding on Gavin. It was too much to handle. Ryan’s hand was on his waist, squeezing lightly and grounding him a moment. 

_ Fifteen seconds.  _

Ryan’s face was twisted up in concern. Gavin shook his head, trying to focus. He looked at the open door, moving to look through it. _Focus._ Jack’s gun was pointed at Kingpin’s head where he was kneeling on the ground. 

_ Ten. Nine. Eight. _

Gavin jolted in surprise. He recognized the crack in the grip she’d gotten from squeezing too hard. _That **is** Jack._

_ Seven. Six. Five.  _

“Goodbye from loyal little Jacky,” Jack breathed.

_ Four. _

Gavin was moving before he processed the need to.

_ Three. _

Images of his family flashed in his head as he dashed forward.

_ Two. _

Gavin slammed into King, shoving him out of the way.

_ Bang! _

Gavin gasped as the bullet hit him like freight train. 

“Gavin!” Jack shouted, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

_The only thing that matters._ Gavin’s brain faded and he closed his eyes as he shut down. 

_Saving my family._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been sweating over this plot twist since the beginning, long before it truly became relevant.


	11. Chapter 11

** The Night Before **

_ It’s almost over, just a little longer, _ Jack thought tiredly as she slipped into her car.

“It’s almost over,” her alternate murmured as she slid in as well.

“Just a little longer,” Jack agreed.

“You...sure about this?” Alternate questioned as they pulled out, “We can still back down.”

“No, I still think this is for the best,” Jack answered, “Geoff deserves someone who can love him the way you do, you deserve your devotion to mean something, and Kingpin deserves to die.”

“And what about you?” Alternate asked quietly.

“I deserve to be with someone as repulsive as I find Geoff’s affections,” Jack snorted.

“You know it’s not your fault you’re repulsed by affection, right?” Alternate muttered dryly.

“Doesn’t stop the guilt,” Jack murmured, “Besides, it’ll be therapeutic for me to kill the lot of them. Are _you_ sure about this?”

She glanced at her alternate who shifted a bit nervously.

“I’m selfish,” she admitted, “I want to be with someone who gives a fuck about me. This is probably a terrible idea, but after everything...I agree. He...left me. I want him to get what he deserves finally. After all his talking, his stupid silver tongue, all the bullshit he’s spewed, it’s about time it caught up with him. But yours...he’s all the good parts of mine with none of the bad.”

Jack had to agree. Geoff was amazing and he deserved someone who could be amazing for him as well. This was the one thing she could do for him. She could finally pay back all of his devotion and kindness by giving him someone who could be affectionate in return. A better version of herself. 

“He’s yours now,” she whispered.

Alternate glanced at her before looking ahead again.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

** The Present Day **

“Gavin!” Jack shouted, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

Gavin passed out against the concrete floor while Jack stared in alarmed shock. Then Ryan appeared.

_Wham, crack!_

She reeled back, clutching her broken nose as Ryan dropped down to help Gavin. The rest of both crews suddenly flooded the room, all talking at once. Jack was reeling still, confused and disoriented. Ryan was out of the room, carrying Gavin as Jack pieced together what happened from the others. 

The alternates dying could destroy both universes. Gavin had just saved all of them by taking the bullet she meant for Kingpin. According to Rimmy, Gavin said the alternates killing them could also implode their universes, but he wasn’t sure. 

In the chaos it seemed no one had noticed the switch yet. Though Jack feared her ending line may tip off Michael, Ryan, or Gavin once the excitement died down. Provided Gavin was going to be okay. God, he _was_ going to be okay, wasn’t he? Jack tried to hide her shaking hands by curling them into fists. _Please let him be okay._

After rushing everyone to the hospital, Mogar, Jeremy, and Gavin were all carted off to get patched up while the rest of them gathered in the parking lot to determine what they were going to do. Obviously none of the three alternates of the injured ones could be around and they couldn’t leave a pair of alternates there either. They were all bickering about who should go and who should stay. 

“I’m staying,” Ryan eventually announced after being quiet the whole time.

“What about my boi?” Gold huffed, “He’s completely outnumbered once your Rimmy wakes up!”

“I could give a fuck,” Ryan spat, “After the shit you lot pulled, you’re lucky Gavin is so sure you’re necessary to keep alive or I’d have you all drowning on your own fucking blood.”

He stormed away from them toward the ER entrance. Jack was utterly shocked. _That **is** Ryan, isn’t it?? Jesus, he sounded just like Vagabond._

“We’ll leave Roadkill then,” Geoff spoke up, “Then Mogar will have an ally, alright?”

Gold gave Jack a dubious look. It was no secret none of them really trusted each other.

“Alright, I guess,” he muttered.

Jack started for the ER, but her wrist was grabbed by Kingpin. She wanted to vomit as she yanked it away.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” She snapped.

“Sorry,” King grunted, “Just be safe, okay?”

“Stop with your bullshit,” she growled, “You’re so fucking lucky, it actually makes me sick. Finally getting what the hell you deserved and wow, someone rushed in to save you. Not from loyalty to you, but because the fucking universe needs you alive. Isn’t that fucking poetic?”

She stormed after Ry, tears of frustration in her eyes. He’d looked so much like Geoff when he’d been there, facing the barrel of her gun. She almost couldn’t do it because all she could see was Geoff. She’d wondered a moment if they’d switched out on her the same as she and her alternate had. But he’d proposed in a totally slimy away. Geoff would never propose at all. He hated marriage almost as much as Jack hated affection. But then...

_I’m at your service, Miss Pattillo._

The exact words Geoff had spoken to her when she came out to him. Was it also the exact words King had spoken to his Jack? They hadn’t discussed coming out to Geoff, but Alternate hadn’t even _hinted_ that her Geoff was unaccepting, so it was possible. If it was true, if he had said the words before, then it meant he was probably trying to manipulate her again. But...

Jack couldn’t tell. She couldn’t tell if he was lying or manipulating or what. He looked just like Geoff and Geoff was always sincere. But Alternate had certainly given her a lot of evidence to suggest that Kingpin lied more than he told the truth. And she’d heard enough slime from the guy herself to know not to trust anything he said. He was utterly awful, but it was possible he truly did care for his Jack. After all, Jack was also utterly awful and yet truly cared for her Geoff.

She sighed heavily as she sat in the waiting room across from Ryan. The plan was completely fucked now. Now she was just trying to roll with it, just trying to keep her head up. What else could she do? She glanced at the doors they’d wheeled Jeremy and Gavin through. _Worry._ That’s what else she could do. 

~

_This is all my fault,_ Ryan lamented as he held his head in his hands. First Rimmy had slipped past him because he was too distracted. Then he wasn’t quick enough to catch Gavin. Hell, if he’d managed to kiss Jeremy properly, maybe he’d have invited him into his apartment and he wouldn’t have been alone when they showed up to kidnap him in the first place.

“Excuse me, is anyone here family of Jeremy Ramsey?” 

Ryan stood up and hurried over to the nurse.

“Yes, I’m family,” he answered quickly.

“What’s your name?” The nurse questioned.

“Ryan Ramsey,” Ryan answered.

“Good, you’re the one he’s asking for then,” the nurse informed him, “Please follow me.”

_He...he’s asking for **me**?_ Ryan’s heart pounded in his chest as he was led to Jeremy. Jeremy reached weakly as soon as he saw Ryan and Ryan was at his side in the blink of an eye, gripping his cold hand in both of his.

“I’m here, I’m here,” he assured him a bit frantically, “What do you need?”

Jeremy gripped at his hand tightly.

“Is everyone okay?” He rasped.

Ryan hesitated and Jeremy’s face dropped, what little color left draining completely.

“Wh-Who?” He breathed.

“Gavin’s in critical condition,” Ryan admitted quietly.

“From...rescuing me?” Jeremy pressed, face twisted with anxiety.

“Not exactly,” Ryan muttered, “We were there to rescue you, but he took a bullet to save the universe.”

Jeremy frowned at Ryan.

“What?” He grunted.

“There’s this theory,” Ryan explained, “He called it the universe death paradox. If one of our alternates die, it could destroy the universe because they don’t belong here.”

Jeremy puffed out a heavy breath, looking up at the ceiling.

“Well, that’s fucking heavy,” he murmured.

He sat up a bit, looking suddenly panicked.

“We should check on Mogar!” He exclaimed, trying to get up, “I may have popped one of his lungs!”

“He’s alright,” Ryan assured him, pushing his hand on his chest to press him back flat.

Jeremy gripped his wrist as tightly as he could.

“Ryan, I...” he started, “C-Come closer.”

Ryan shifted to lean closer, eyebrows coming together in concern. Jeremy gripped his jacket and yanked him into a kiss. Ryan’s eyes widened and he froze. _He...He kissed me again?? After I fucked up he kissed me again?? Fuck, I’m frozen again! Kiss him, you moron!_

Ryan squeezed his eyes closed and pressed back against Jeremy’s kiss. His heart was pounding in his chest as Jeremy’s lips parted. Ryan eagerly mouthed at them, tongue swiping into Jeremy’s mouth briefly. Jeremy groaned into the kiss, his hand moving to the back of Ryan’s neck to pull him closer. But Ryan heard someone outside the door and abruptly pulled back as a nurse pushed the door fully open.

“Hello, just here to check your vitals!” The nurse called cheerfully, “Oh, you’ve got some color back in your face, that’s great!”

Jeremy pink blush only worsened when they pointed it out. Ryan smiled softly. _So adorable._

~

Michael was not a fan of being so completely outnumbered by the other crew. And he hated that he couldn’t stay at the hospital with Gavin and Jeremy. And he was aching from getting his ass handed to him by Rimmy and Vagabond. 

_This day fucking sucks. I want a do over._

He shifted the ice pack he was holding to his face. It would be better if they weren’t all just staring at each other, unsure of what to do or say. Geoff, sitting beside him, shifted a bit to look at him.

“You alright?” He asked quietly.

But in a dead-silent room, it was practically a shout.

“That’s a stupid fucking question,” Michael grumbled, “Obviously fucking not. Obviously no one is alright!”

Geoff winced and Michael felt a pang of guilt.

“Sorry, I’m stressed out,” he muttered.

Geoff squeezed his knee reassuringly and turned back to face the others.

“Okay, so,” he began, “Obviously we have to work together now. You guys need to get home before you destroy both of our universes. With Gavin out of the fight, we’ll have to do the research ourselves to figure this out. My first thought is replicating what happened that brought you here.”

“We already tried that,” Gold spoke up a bit hoarsely, “It was one of the first things we did.”

“Maybe we need them too?” Rimmy offered, “Both crews doing the same thing?”

“Well, that’s not an option right now,” Kingpin pointed out, “So we should try something else. Gold, did you have any other theories?”

“There’s loads of theories,” Gold answered, “But what we need is a theoretical physicist. An expert on the subject.”

“What, you want us to kidnap a scientist?” Jack snorted.

“Yes,” Gold answered, “I’ve already picked out the perfect one.”

He held out his phone, showing them a picture of a man with silver hair and striking blue eyes.

“He’s based here in Los Santos,” Gold explained, “And very knowledgeable.”

“Uh, maybe we try talking to him first?” Jack offered.

“Hm, I guess that’s probably better,” Gold agreed, shrugging, “I’ll go ask him for assistance.”

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Geoff chimed in, “One of us should protect you. We don’t want an accident to destroy the universe. Jack, you go-“

“No, I can’t go,” Jack interrupted, “You’ll have to send Michael.”

Michael scowled at her. _What the fuck, dude?? I’m beaten to hell!_ Geoff was also frowning at her.

“Alright then, I guess Michael will go,” he begrudgingly agreed, “If you’re up for it. I can go if you’re too injured.”

“Nah, I’m just a bit bruised,” Michael assured him, “I’ll go.”

More than a bit, but he wasn’t going to send Geoff off with Gold alone. Not after they’d _just_ rescued him. Gold was giving Michael an evil sort of grin. _Ah, fuck._

“Can I talk to my crew alone a moment?” Kingpin requested.

“Sure, I guess, go in the conference room,” Geoff agreed.

The other crew filed out of the living room, into the conference room and Michael waited for the door to close before turning to Geoff.

“We need backup,” he muttered, “I don’t trust these guys, even with the threat of universe death.”

“I agree,” Jack chimed in, “That’s why I’m not leaving your side. Michael’s pretty fucking beaten. If one of them tries something, he’s not in top shape to help.”

Michael was a bit less annoyed with her now. 

“I’ve already called in backup,” Geoff assured them, “I have b team following us and an old friend is on his way.”

“Is it Ray?” Michael pressed, “I’ll feel a lot better if it’s Ray.”

“Sure is,” Geoff answered, grinning.

“Thank Christ,” Michael said, puffing out a relieved sigh, “Oh man, I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“Yeah, not since the Fourth of July barbecue,” Geoff agreed, “Couple months now.”

“Sucks we gotta see him like this,” Michael murmured, feeling a bit guilty.

He hadn’t been messaging Ray as much the last couple of months. They’d been busy with Hardside. _Some friend I am._

“You sure you don’t have any broken bones?” Geoff questioned, “You look like they put you through a meat-grinder.”

“Nah, they were intentionally not trying to break anything,” Michael dismissed, “Dunno why the fuck not though. Kingpin said he was going to off you. I wonder why they’d bother keeping us alive just to kill us?”

“Who was he talking to when he said that?” Jack asked.

“The fake you,” Michael grunted, “She was mad at him for kidnapping us behind her back and he said he was going to off Geoff to prove he loved her.”

“So he said it _after_ she reacted poorly?” Geoff snorted, “Obviously he was coming up with excuses then.”

“No doubt,” Jack agreed, “But then why did they want us alive?”

“He did also mention something about taking Gavin out?” Michael offered, rubbing his temple, “Something about the jig not having to last long ‘cause they just needed to take Gavin down.”

“Interesting,” Geoff murmured, “So they wanted to move through the city without being caught by Gavin’s network, I bet.”

“Guess that makes sense,” Michael muttered, shrugging, “But I dunno why.”

He didn’t get paid for the thinking parts. He punched things, did the wiring, and blew shit up. The other crew rejoined them before they could come up with any reasons behind their actions. 

“Well, shall we be off then?” Gold chirped at Michael.

“Guess so,” Michael grumbled as he stood.

“Stay safe,” Geoff called to him as they headed to the garage, “Eyes ahead.”

_Because we’ve got your back covered,_ Michael interpreted.

“You got it, boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it really seems like everyone’s making sound decisions.


	12. Chapter 12

Gold wasted no time. As soon as they’d pulled out of the garage, he was leaning over Michael’s lap, tugging at his belt. Michael batted his hands away.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing??” He demanded.

“I’m trying to give you roadhead,” Gold snorted, “What’re you bitching for?”

“Fuck off, dude,” Michael growled, “I’m really not in the mood for your fucking bullshit.”

“Your Gavin’s not gonna know,” Gold assured him.

“Yeah, surprisingly, not my biggest concern,” Michael scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Is this about your little secret?” Gold asked, “Because you should know, I don’t give a fuck.”

“No, I just don’t want to have sex with you,” Michael grumbled, “I have no interest in you.”

“Liar,” Gold sneered.

“Just fuck off, dude,” Michael muttered, sighing tiredly, “This day already sucks.”

“I mean, it doesn’t,” Gold pointed out, “You just said no to that.”

Michael threw him a dry look that he just grinned at. 

“Fucking Christ,” he sighed, “This is my life now.”

“Hey, who’s following us?” Gold suddenly asked, “Is that your b team?”

“Yes, it is,” Michael admitted, seeing no reason to lie, “Watching our backs.”

_Well, **mine** anyway._

“I’ve missed having a b team,” Gold murmured, “So much better to make them do all the heavy-lifting.”

“Christ, you’re an asshole,” Michael snorted, shaking his head, “B team isn’t just the guys who do the dirty work, you know. They’re fucking talented.”

“Talented at the dirty work,” Gold countered.

Michael rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, dude.”

They were blissfully quiet for the rest of the short journey. Michael worried about the real Gavin. _He’d going to pull through,_ he assured himself firmly. _It’s Gavin. Gavin always pulls through. He has to pull through. Please, Gavin, we need you._ Michael blinked away the stinging in his eyes as he parked in visitor parking for the college. 

He let Gold lead the way, only vaguely listening to the guy’s cover for needing to speak with the professor. Something about being an old friend or something. Michael was too tired to care. When they were outfitted with visitor’s passes, Gold led the way to a mostly empty lab where their chosen physicist was working. 

“Dr. Wecht?” Gold greeted, “Do you have a moment?”

“Depends,” the man muttered, not looking up, “Are you here to waste my time?”

“Well, the fate of the universe is at stake,” Gold offered, “So...no?”

Wecht looked up.

“You have two minutes to convince me that is in fact the case,” he spoke coolly.

“Well then,” Gold began, coming closer, “My name is Gavin Free and I don’t belong here. I’m from an alternate reality. I and my gang were suddenly brought here a little over a week ago. There’s six of us and we’d like to go home before we destroy the fabric of reality. But obviously we have no idea what we’re doing. We need someone who does.”

Michael was a bit surprised he went for it right out.

“Multiverse theory,” Wecht murmured, “I suppose you’re a supporter of the universe death theory then? If you die, you kill the universe?”

_“I_ have no idea,” Gold admitted, “But my alternate got himself shot over it. He really believes if we die, we’ll destroy both of our realities.”

“It’s a currently popular theory,” Wecht answered, standing, “I, personally, do not believe it. No, you’re already here. That means the problem has already arisen.”

He went to a whiteboard on the wall and found an empty spot. He drew a Venn diagram and wrote “ours” and “yours” on either side.

“The problem is,” he explained, “Your universe has collided with ours. Yours has pushed into ours, thereby displacing part of our universe.”

He drew six little lines pushing out from the “yours” circle into the “ours” circle.

“By merely existing here,” he went on, “You’re pushing out other parts of our universe. But since we’re still pressed to your universe, the displacement will spill over to yours.”

He drew six more little lines, this time pushing from the “ours” circle to the “yours”. 

“The longer you’re here,” he continued, “And the more you effect-“

He lengthened the first six lines.

“-the more you displace and the more your universe is effected too.”

He lengthened the second set of lines.

“Ours will shrink, yours will grow,” he concluded, “But this will still destroy both universes. Yours will likely explode from the added material of our universe. Ours will simply disappear as it is absorbed by yours.”

“Then wouldn’t us dying solve the problem?” Gold asked.

“Dying here will not _immediately_ destroy either universe,” Wecht murmured, “But it also won’t be effective in reversing the situation either. By dying here, you will still be effecting things, displacing even more.”

“Then we need to get home either way,” Gold muttered, “So. We need to know how to do that.”

Wecht tapped the whiteboard over the shared center of the Venn diagram.

“You need to return to the bridge,” he answered, “To the area where our universe now intersect. A well placed explosion in this area should jar your universe away from ours and send you back.”

“You want us to blow ourselves up?” Gold snorted.

“It would have to be an incredibly precise explosion,” Wecht admitted, “And every one of you would have to be present. All 12.”

“What if we can’t get all twelve of us?” Gold pressed.

“Then you’ll have to wait until you can,” Wecht replied, “And I imagine if you believe in god, pray.”

“Can you help us?” Gold asked, “Get everything as it’s meant to be?”

“I can,” Wecht agreed, “Provided you’re telling the truth.”

“I am,” Gold assured him, “We’ll contact you again when we’re all able to return to the bridge.”

“If this is real, I look forward to it, Mr. Free,” Wecht muttered, holding out his hand, “It was nice meeting you and your silent companion. Reminds me of a couple of guys I know.”

Gold shook his hand and they left. Michael felt slightly less anxious. _Okay, we have a plan. Sort of. Cool._ Michael glanced at Gold who was looking out the window distantly. He looked so much like Gavin, Michael almost asked if he wanted ice cream. But Gold shattered the image by undoing his own shorts.

“Don’t get jizz on my leather,” Michael grumbled, red-faced.

“If you put your mouth on it, you won’t have to worry,” Gold snorted as his hand started moving on his cock.

Michael rolled his eyes and did his best not to look over. _That’s Gavin’s dick. Right there. Just hanging in the breeze. Don’t look. Don’t look._ Michael glanced over and immediately pulled the car over, slamming into park. He didn’t know why, but the fact Gold had a dick piercing drove him nuts. _Does Gavin...surely not..._

“Like what you see?” Gold teased, “Mine really likes the piercing too.”

His cock was pretty. A very attractive deep pink at the head. _Appetizing,_ Michael hated himself for thinking. Gold’s thumb brushed over the piercing and across the tip, smearing precome over it. It was Gavin’s cock. Michael wanted it inside him badly. He rubbed his palm absently against his cock as he watched Gavin’s hand move on his. 

He was overcome with the desire to be with him, touch him. How long had he been wanting Gavin? Wanting his _cock?_ And there it was right in front of him. So close he could taste it. He swayed, body flushing and found himself leaning over to put his tongue on that piercing.

“Ah, y-yeah, love, that’s it,” Gavin groaned, “Sh-Show me what you can do with that pretty tongue of yours.”

Michael’s mouth closed around him and he swiped his tongue over the tip, licking up all the precome. He groaned breathlessly as he sucked lightly, listening to Gavin’s sounds of pleasure get higher pitched as his hand moved quicker. He was moaning praises that felt like silk on Michael’s ears while his own hand rubbed quickly against his cock still trapped in his jeans. He groaned lowly as he came, mouth sinking further down on Gavin’s cock. Gavin came with a shout of his name right after and Michael’s face curled in disgust as his mouth was flooded. _Eck. I forgot how gross that is._

He pulled up and opened his door to spit out the disgusting thick liquid and spat again before reaching for his soda, grateful he had one. Gold grinned at him from where he was panting, slumped against the seat. Michael sneered back, between gulps of soda. _I can’t believe I just did that. Why the hell did I just do that??_ He glanced at Gold’s relaxed body, his pleased smile. _Fuck._

He turned on his car, looking around as he pulled back onto the road. _Fucking Christ. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! What the fuck have I done?? Fuck! Gavin’s in the fucking hospital and I’m getting off with his alternate. Fucking Christ. Fuck!_ Michael wanted to scream and cry and possibly shoot himself. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Oh god, what the fuck is wrong with me?? Fuck!_ He needed to punch something. _I fucked up. I fucked up!_

~

Geoff puffed out a heavy sigh as he washed his hands. Jack’s hovering, while sweet, was a bit oppressive. She’d been attached to his hip since Michael left with Gold. It was sweet, but he needed a little breathing room. He dried his hands and straightened his shirt. _Okay. Calm and collected. Gotta be the foundation for my family._ He puffed out a breath. _Okay._

He turned and opened the bathroom door. He flinched to find Ryan right outside it or Vagabond rather, based on his uninjured face. Geoff made a very embarrassing noise of surprise as Vagabond pushed inside the bathroom. He kicked the door closed as he backed Geoff into the sink. 

“You happen to be in the mood?” He questioned as he trapped Geoff against the sink.

“Wh-What??” Geoff sputtered.

“My usual dance partner’s a bit under the weather,” Vagabond answered, leaning closer to Geoff, “My second choice is also out, so here we are.”

“Wow, bronze medal, you know how to make a boy feel special,” Geoff scoffed, “Three of my crew are seriously injured thanks to your crew. Shockingly no, I’m not in the mood.”

“I had very little to do with that,” Vagabond dismissed, “Besides, you know what’s great for stress relief?”

“Xanax?” Geoff muttered dryly.

And then Vagabond smashed into him, mouth messy and demanding on his. Geoff found himself pressing back, gripping at Vagabond’s jacket and pushing him against the door as Ryan’s blushing face surfaced in his mind. Vagabond grunted as he was shoved against the door, their mouths breaking apart.

“Someone missed me,” he teased breathlessly.

Geoff went red. _Fuck._

“Nope!” He announced, shoving Vagabond away from the door, “I most assuredly did not!”

Which was the truth. He’d wanted to kiss Ryan. _Oh god, everything is so fucked now._ Vagabond grabbed his ass as he opened the door and he squeaked embarrassingly again. He batted Vagabond away as he went through the door, Vagabond laughing as he followed after him.

“Awe, come on,” he coaxed, “That wasn’t a friendly kiss, baby.”

“Fuck off!” Geoff hissed.

Jack came around the corner, nearly slamming right into Geoff who stumbled back into Vagabond to avoid her. Geoff quickly moved closer to her, considering ducking behind her. _Save me, Jack! I’m sorry for thinking I needed a break from you!_ Jack narrowed her eyes at Vagabond.

“Food’s here,” she muttered, “I hope you weren’t doing anything inappropriate, Vagabond.”

“Me, inappropriate?” Vagabond sneered, “I would never. But you know...”

He stepped closer to her and leaned to whisper something in her ear. Her jaw tightened at whatever it was as he leaned back.

“Food for thought, Roadie,” he mused as he walked around her.

Geoff watched him go in confusion.

“What did he say?” He asked her.

“Nothing important,” Jack murmured, “Just more slime.”

That about tracked. She turned fully to Geoff and suddenly pressed a kiss to his lips. Geoff jolted in surprise, but warmth spread in his chest as she pulled away. At least when he kissed her, it wasn’t like he was kissing her alternate. Everything relaxed a bit in his mind. Everything would be fine as long as he had his family on his side. As long as he had _Jack._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That knife in your back looked like it needed twisting.


	13. Chapter 13

Ray was quiet a long moment, hands pressed together in front of him and eyes closed like he was praying. Geoff, Michael, and Jack glanced at each other nervously as they waited for him to speak. He finally puffed out a heavy breath and his hands pointed outward as he opened his eyes again.

"You're all idiots," he announced. 

Alright, that was fair. 

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" He questioned.

"Well, we, uh, didn't really have time?" Geoff offered, "It all happened rather quickly."

"There was a whole week they didn't do anything," Ray pointed out.

"We sort of thought they'd just go away?" Michael spoke up.

"You're all idiots," Ray repeated, "Nothing just goes away. I swear if I wasn't already retired, I'd retire again just so I didn't have to hear this bullshit."

He sighed heavily.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Geoff.

"Well, right now all we can do is stay alert and wait for everyone to get out of the hospital," Geoff answered, shrugging, "Then after that, we have a new friend that's going to help blow them back into their own universe."

"Nice," Ray snorted.

Geoff gave him an exasperated look.

"So what's my job, then?" Ray pressed on.

"Watching our alternates," Geoff muttered, "We need to make sure they don't spring whatever plan they've got in the works. Or if they do, we have someone to stop it from going to their favor."

"You got it, boss," Ray agreed, firing a finger gun at him, "Being the trap card is my specialty."

He looked around.

"Is that why we're in a Waffle House right now?" He guessed.

"Yes, yes it is," Geoff confirmed, "Also I'm hungry and it's one am."

"Aces," Ray grunted, "So...y'all gonna tell me the screw-up you've managed to land?"

He gestured to the three of them.

"What'd you three do?" He wondered, "Why are you all so guilty looking?"

The three cleared their throats, glancing at each other.

"Ah, three different screw-ups then," Ray murmured, "Ya know, I'm not sure I even want to know what you three stooges managed to fuck up."

He took a bite of his food.

"Dumbasses," he added around the bite.

Really, no one could argue against that.

~

Jack hadn't wanted to leave the hospital when Mogar was released, but obviously she couldn't stay for Jeremy and Gavin when she wasn't supposed to be concerned about them. Meeting back with the rest of her new crew was nerve-wracking as well. Kingpin was supposed to be dead by then. She wasn't supposed to have to keep up the ruse this fucking long. Alternate had said the others wouldn't have any idea either, so she was only meant to fool Kingpin long enough to kill him. She was a terrible liar usually. Apparently pretending to be your alternate self was sort of easy though. 

After Gold caught her and Mogar up on the news about the alternate realities, it became clear the ruse was going to have to be thrown out anyway. Alternate had to go back to her universe to save both of their universes. Obviously they couldn't fool the universes the way they'd fooled Geoff's love-blind and Kingpin's unobservant asses. She needed to talk to Alternate and get switched back.

"Gold, are you absolutely certain this guy is right?" King asked suddenly.

Jack looked over at Gold who was hesitant to answer.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," he admitted, "All of this is theory. But I think he is right and I think regardless, going home is our best bet."

"I agree," Mogar chimed in, "Fuck this place. Let's go home."

"You're just saying that because my mirror kicked your ass," Rimmy sneered.

"Fuck off, Rimmy," Mogar growled, "The cuck kicked yours."

"Yeah, because you couldn't handle him yourself," Rimmy snorted.

"I wasn't supposed to have to!" Mogar snapped, "You were supposed to fucking take care of him! I was supposed to get fake Gavin!"

"It's not my fault he wouldn't look at me," Rimmy grumbled, "He was looking everywhere but me. Plus shit was going down. I had to improvise."

"Your improv could use some fucking work, Rimmy," Mogar taunted.

"Don't fucking start, Mogar," Rimmy snarled, "I will kick your ass if I have to."

"Good thing I've got broken ribs," Mogar huffed, "Then it'll be a fair fight for you."

"Alright, alright," King interrupted tiredly, "Enough. If you two are quite finished, we needed to discuss what we're going to do now. Our replacement plan isn't going to go well if we destroy each other before we get there."

"You're really going to continue??" Gold demanded, "That's murder-suicide for both universes!"

"I doubt that," King snorted, "I think the best thing we can do is get rid of our doubles. If they aren't here, then there aren't double the actions, therefore we can't push anything out."

Gold hummed thoughtfully while Jack felt a squeeze of fear in her chest. Oh, shit. Fuck. Leave it to Geoff to try to find a fucking loophole.

"Are you fucking insane??" Jack snapped, "You really want to risk everything on your own theory when the expert said otherwise??"

"The expert didn't say anything about the alternates dying," Gold pointed out, "Besides, we'd be risking everything with the explosion plan as well."

"What's wrong, Roadie?" Vagabond spoke up, "When have you ever backed down in the face of death?"

Jack glared at him and his lips tugged into an evil little smirk. A _knowing_ smirk. _Fuck. He knows. How the hell does he know??_

"Normally when I face death, I'm facing it beside the man I love," Jack answered coldly, "But now I'm not so sure I know who that man is and I could give a fuck about the rest of you dickbags. I'm not prepared to die by _your_ sides."

"Jack-" King started.

"Shut up," Jack interrupted.

She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples.

"Fine, I guess it's the same either way," she agreed, "It doesn't really seem to matter what we do at this point."

 _Geoff, please, please be prepared for this. I know you're smart enough to know they're planning something._ Hopefully he'd called Ray in at least. The rest of the crew filed out to do god knew what and Jack was left with Kingpin.

"What do I have to do to prove to you I meant what I said?" He asked quietly.

"Do something entirely selfless," Jack suggested, "When you can do something that only benefits someone else, that isn't part of some fucking scheme, maybe I'll believe you can be sincere. But it doesn't matter if you do it now, because I'll know you only care about getting your loyal little bitch on your fucking side again."

She stood and left, resisting the urge to spit the foul taste from her mouth. _Fucking slime._ Vagabond was waiting outside the conference room, leaning against the wall. _Speaking of slime..._

"I'm curious as to what you plan to do next, _Jack,"_ he spoke, voice full of dark amusement.

"Go to Waffle House, probably," Jack muttered dryly as she turned to start down the hallway.

"You know, I kissed King's alternate," Vagabond commented lightly.

Jack whipped around, but Vagabond caught her fist, grinning evilly in her face.

"What's this?" He mused, "Defensive of Kingpin's alternate? Why ever would that be?"

"Because I love King in every form," Jack growled, "Even if he is a stupid, slimy asshole."

Technically, she wasn't lying. She really did love Geoff and she could see him in Kingpin, even though she hated that. Vagabond's amusement flickered and a hint of uncertainty flashed in his eyes. Something about what she said seemed to make him believe maybe he'd been wrong about the switch. The uncertainty dropped quickly, his face twisting back into the amused smirk.

"I see," he murmured, "Perhaps you _do_ belong on this crew."

"I certainly don't belong with them," she muttered, yanking her hand from his grip.

And she really believed that.

~

Jeremy jerked awake, a scream bubbling up in his throat. His eyes darted around and he panted heavily. _Dream. It was a dream._ He shuddered as he settled back on the hospital bed. He touched the bandage lightly. It was soaked with sweat. _No. It wasn't a dream. It was a memory._ Jeremy shuddered again.

"Are you alright?" Ryan asked.

Jeremy jumped.

"Fucking Christ!" He hissed, "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Since the nightmare started," Ryan answered.

"Great," Jeremy grumbled.

"The nurses said not to wake you," Ryan murmured.

Jeremy wiped sweat off his forehead, sighing heavily. Ryan got up and went to the bathroom, returning a moment later with a wet wash cloth. He sat on the bed beside Jeremy and wiped Jeremy's forehead and the back of his neck. Jeremy was blushing as he did this. _He's...touching me._ Ryan cleared his throat as he left the cloth to the back of Jeremy's neck.

"Jeremy, I..." he started.

His eyebrows came together and his mouth opened and closed.

"I...I..."

Jeremy's chest squeezed as he watched Ryan struggle. 

"You...?" He prompted gently.

_Come on, Ryan. Tell me what you need to say. Please._

"I-I..." Ryan tried again, "I..."

 _Oh, Ryan._ Jeremy reached out and cupped Ryan's face. Ryan leaned into his palm, bringing his hand up to Jeremy's. His eyes searched Jeremy's, begging him to understand. Begging Jeremy to _hear_ him. It was a look Jeremy had become familiar with. Especially the past couple days. Jeremy's hand moved down from his face to his chest, pressing over his heart. Ryan's hand squeezed his as he felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"Ryan, do you..." Jeremy murmured hesitantly, "Want to...be with me?"

Ryan's hand squeezed tighter and he nodded, face full of worry, but also some relief at being understood. Jeremy gripped his shirt and tugged him closer. Ryan leaned toward him, eyes searching his.

"Okay," Jeremy whispered.

Then he kissed Ryan again and again Ryan was frozen a moment before pressing back eagerly. His free hand held Jeremy's face while he kept the other tightly clasped on Jeremy's still against his chest.

Jeremy was glad to find Ryan had just be surprised the first time, rather than worried. Jeremy had been sure he hadn't kissed back because he was afraid of getting tased again. But with the following two kisses it became apparent Ryan was just entering buffering mode every time Jeremy kissed him. He did that whenever he couldn't understand what was happening or didn't know what to do about a situation. It was kind of cute, actually.

Ryan pulled back suddenly, turning his red face away from Jeremy as another nurse entered the room. They truly had terrible timing. 

"Excuse me, you are family of Gavin Ramsey, correct?" The nurse asked.

Ryan stood and Jeremy struggled to sit up.

"Yes, we are," Jeremy grunted, "Is he okay?"

"He's stable," the nurse answered, "We couldn't reach his emergency contact to let them know."

Jeremy puffed out a relieved sigh.

"Is he awake?" Ryan questioned.

"No, but he's likely to wake up some time in the next 24 hours."

Ryan turned to Jeremy with a concerned look.

"Go," Jeremy muttered, "Someone should be there when he wakes up. I'm fine."

Ryan hesitated, then he leaned down and kissed Jeremy's cheek before leaving with the nurse. Jeremy settled back into the bed, relieved. He touched his cheek where Ryan kissed him and blushed. _We're...something now, right?_ He smiled softly as warmth spread through him.

Suddenly he frowned at the ceiling. _Wait, why did Geoff not answer his phone?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ray is right, they’re all idiots.


	14. Chapter 14

Geoff patted his pockets, searching for his personal phone. He was getting worried about not getting a call from the hospital. Surely there should’ve been news by then? _Where the hell is my phone??_ He looked over his desk and on the floor around it. 

_When did I use it last? To call Ray in the conference room._ Hours and hours ago. Had it been missing since then? He got up to check the conference room, finding it on the floor. _Must’ve dropped it when I went to put it in my pocket._ He checked for missed calls. _Nothing._

He sighed heavily and slid it in his pocket, making sure it stayed there this time and exited the room. He was so worried about Gavin. Gavin from the beginning had been like a son to him. That first time they met, Geoff had felt a protective instinct toward the exhausted tech that looked like a skeleton. He seemed like he needed someone and Geoff found himself wanting to be that someone. 

“Hey, have you gotten any word on Gavin?” Jack asked, as she joined him in the hallway.

“Nothing,” Geoff grunted.

“Anything from Ryan about it?” Jack pressed. 

“Nothing,” Geoff repeated.

“I’m sure he’ll pull through,” Jack assured him. 

“‘Course he will,” Geoff muttered, “He’s Gavin.”

“Yeah, our little Golden Boy,” Jack mused, “Always pulls through. Anyway, I’m gonna head home.”

“Alright, good night then,” Geoff murmured, “I’ll probably be leaving soon too.”

“Good night,” she returned.

She gave Geoff a light kiss and was on her way. Geoff smiled, blushing a bit as she left. The alternates had also left already and Michael had said he planned to sleep in the office. That left only Geoff still awake or well, he was the only one not laying down trying to sleep. Except maybe Jeremy or Ryan. _Ryan._ Geoff took his phone back out to text him, to ask for an update as he opened his office door. 

He hesitated as he looked at Ryan’s contact info, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. He put his back to the door and slid down it, staring at his phone as he sat on his office’s carpeted floor. Everything was weird now. Geoff had some sort of feeling toward Ryan and it was weird. He hadn’t really thought of Ryan that way before the incident with Vagabond. Though he supposed he’d always found Ryan attractive, he never even thought of doing anything with that attraction. 

He closed his eyes and his head thumped against the door. Ryan’s blushing face was easily conjured in his mind. 

_Yes, sir._

How many times had Ryan said those two little words to him? Ryan had always easily obeyed Geoff. Of course Geoff never gave him any questionable orders, so he usually wouldn’t have reason to consider disobeying. _Usually,_ but now...How many orders could Geoff give him before he stopped obeying? 

Show me.

_Yes, sir._

Touch yourself.

_Yes, sir._

Take your clothes off.

_Yes, sir._

Bend over.

_Yes, sir._

Geoff’s breath was coming out too quickly and his hand was almost subconsciously rubbing at his boner. This was so wrong, so fucked up. It was damn Vagabond’s fault. Geoff never would’ve started thinking about it if Vagabond hadn’t dragged him into his fantasies. 

Would Ryan be more like Vagabond if they did actually start having sex? Rather than obeying Geoff would he push him around and bend him over? Make him take it? Would Ryan be the one giving orders in that deep, raspy voice? 

_“Did you really think I would be a good little boy for you, **sir**?” Ryan sneered in Geoff’s imagination._

Geoff moaned breathlessly. 

_“You really are a little slut,” Ryan laughed cruelly, “Big, bad Kingpin bent over and moaning for it. How adorable.”_

Geoff whimpered pretty pathetically as his face went red.

_“Your big, running mouth is quiet for once,” Ryan taunted, “What’s wrong, boss? Vagabond got your tongue?”_

Geoff’s free hand clawed at the carpet and he let out a strangled moan as he recalled kissing Vagabond. Recalled feeling his tongue brushing against his.

_“Or would you prefer to have my tongue?” Ryan whispered._

Geoff grunted, jerking and hissing out a curse as he came in his pants. He gasped in air, wiping sweat from his forehead. _Fucking Christ. What the hell am I doing jerking off to Ryan?? While Gavin and Jeremy are in the hospital??_ He pressed his palms into his closed eyes. _This is so wrong!_ Everything was so fucked now and he could only blame some of it on the alternates. He sighed, dropping his hands and looking down at the wet spot in his pants. Ray was right, they were all idiots, but Geoff knew he was King Idiot.

~

Jack checked her phone or rather the phone Alternate had traded her for her own phone. Despite knowing she wouldn’t get a message about Gavin or Jeremy, she still kept checking anyway. She supposed it was just habit. A chill went up her spine as she slid her phone back in her pocket. She glanced through the balcony door, frowning at the darkness outside. _Someone’s watching me._ She was distracted by the front door opening.

Alternate had a gun out, pointed at her as she stepped through the doorway.

“Jesus Christ, I almost shot you,” she huffed, clutching her chest as she holstered her gun, “What’re you doing here?”

“Couple reasons,” Jack muttered, “Jeremy and Gavin, is there any word?”

“No, unfortunately,” Alternate dismissed as she came over to sit, “Geoff didn’t have any calls from the hospital or texts from Ryan.”

Jack sighed heavily. She was so twisted up with worry over them. 

“Anyway, we need to do something,” she added, “Kingpin still wants to kill all of you for us to take your place.”

“Fucking idiot,” Alternate grumbled, “What do we do to stop him?”

“I don’t fucking know,” Jack admitted, dropping her head into her hands, “Geoff usually makes the plans. It’s not exactly my strong suit.”

“Well, he has BrownMan watching you guys,” Alternate offered, “So he’ll probably stop it if Geoff, er, Kingpin tries something.”

“I was hoping Ray was here,” Jack answered, “That makes me feel a bit better.”

“Did Vagabond say anything to you?” Alternate asked, “Because he said something to me that made it seem like he knew we switched.”

“He did,” Jack confirmed, looking around at her, “He also said he’s curious to see what I’ll do next.”

“What should we do next?” Alternate wondered, “If King doesn’t manage to fuck everything up and we go ahead with the explosion plan, don’t I have to go back?”

“I’m not sure,” Jack grumbled, “But I think...maybe it’s possible as long as there’s only one of us in each universe, the universes will be safe.”

“Then you’ll go to mine?” Alternate guessed.

“Maybe?” Jack offered, shrugging, “King sort of made it seem like it could work. I’ll try to ask our physicist when I get the chance.”

“Alright then,” Alternate murmured, “I guess we’ll stay switched for now. Until we know for sure what we’re gonna do.”

“Probably a bad idea,” Jack snorted.

“Probably,” Alternate agreed.

“I’m still in though,” Jack muttered, as they stood, “I’ll see you when the time comes to decide, I guess.”

“I look forward to it,” Alternate joked, holding out her hand.

They shook and Jack left. She’d hoped talking to her alternate would relax her a bit, but it really didn’t seem to. She was still filled with anxiety. But the good news was the eyes she felt watching her were Ray’s. Though she supposed technically he wasn’t on her side any more, she still felt safer knowing he was watching.

~

Ryan scowled at his phone. Specifically at the log of a dozen outgoing calls to Geoff. _Why isn’t he answering??_ Jeremy had gotten his phone back from the nurses and was texting him from his hospital bed, saying he couldn’t reach Geoff either. They’d also tried Jack, but got nowhere. Then Michael and again got nowhere. No one was answering them. 

Ryan looked at Gavin’s still form, sighing. He didn’t want to leave him or Jeremy, but something bad could be happening. What if the alternates had hurt the other half of FAHC? _What if..._ Ryan shook his head. _No._ He had to stay calm. Overthinking and panicking wasn’t going to help the situation. 

It was too early in the morning, still basically night time, for b team to be awake, so that was out. Ray was obviously out too, he was too far away to be of help. To check on the rest of the crew, Ryan would have to leave. But if the rest of the crew was in danger, then that meant they were too and if Ryan left, he’d be leaving Gavin defenseless. And Jeremy was not exactly in top form either. 

“Jack,” Gavin rasped suddenly.

Ryan leaned toward him, squeezing his hand. His eyes were still closed, but his eyebrows had come together. 

“Gavin?” He called softly, “Can you hear me?”

“Jack,” Gavin repeated.

Ryan winced.

“Jack’s not here,” he murmured, “I’m sorry, I’m all you’ve got.”

Gavin shifted, his head turning slightly toward Ryan.

“Ry,” he whispered.

“Yes, I’m here,” Ryan assured him, squeezing his hand again. 

“Jack,” Gavin repeated.

“No, Jack isn’t here,” Ryan patiently repeated, “Just me.”

“No,” Gavin mumbled, eyebrows furrowing, “Jack. Gun.”

_Oh, he thinks Jack shot him._

“That was Roadkill,” Ryan explained, “It wasn’t Jack.”

“Was,” Gavin argued, face twisting up, “Jack. Gun.”

He spasmed suddenly and the heart rate monitor beside his bed picked up. _Oh, boy. He really thinks it was her and he thinks we need to know._ Ryan leaned over him, hesitantly brushing his hand through Gavin’s hair.

“Gavin, it’s okay,” he soothed, “I heard you. I understand. You can rest.”

Gavin relaxed into his pillow, his face smoothing out. 

“Ry,” he breathed.

“I’m here,” Ryan assured him again.

Gavin’s lips quirked up in a tiny smile and he relaxed further as he fell back asleep. Tears welled up in Ryan’s eyes as he brushed his fingers through Gavin’s hair and rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand.

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled tearfully.

_This is all my fault and yet you’re relieved I’m here._ He leaned over, pressing his forehead to Gavin’s as tears streamed down his face. He kept brushing his hand through Gavin’s hair, remembering just the other night. They had stood waiting for the others who were pulling in.

_“Ryan, I never had much family before, but now...” Gavin said, “Well, Geoff’s my dad, you all already know that and Jack’s sort of like my mum. And you...you’re my big brother. If that’s okay?”_

_Ryan’s chest filled with warmth. Brother. He’d never had one. He smiled and nodded, overcome with affection for Gavin. Little brother. He ruffled his hair. Gavin grinned like golden sunshine and Ryan thought maybe part of him melted._

Ryan choked, lifting Gavin’s cold hand where he was still holding it and pressing it to his chest. _I’m so sorry, little brother. I should’ve protected you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is Awesome is a great song to play while reading this fic.


	15. Chapter 15

“Jack.”

Jack grunted at Geoff’s voice, grumbling as his hand shook her shoulder. 

“Jack, it’s time to get up,” Geoff coaxed, “Everyone’s in place now.”

“Wha?” Jack mumbled, blinking blearily.

“Everyone’s waiting for us,” Geoff explained, “To give the signal.”

Jack rubbed at her eyes as she sat up. _Why’s my bed so hard? Not a bed. Sleeping bag._ Her brain snapped online and she slapped Kingpin’s hand off her shoulder.

“What’s going on?” She grumbled.

“The replacement plan is ready,” Kingpin answered, “Everyone’s in place.”

“What?” Jack grunted.

“The crew, Jack, they’re all ready to take out the others,” Kingpin reiterated, “They’re waiting for us to give the go ahead.”

“What?!” Jack demanded.

“Why are you freaking out right now?” Kingpin wondered, “You agreed to go ahead with the replacement plan.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?!” Jack huffed.

“You seemed so tired,” Kingpin answered, “Didn’t want to wake you before I had to.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed at him.

“No, you did something you knew I wouldn’t like,” she guessed.

Kingpin’s soft sincerity dropped as an evil grin curled onto his face. 

“You caught me,” he laughed, “The truth is, I had a little talk with Vagabond, _Jacky.”_

_Ah, shit._

~

Ryan jerked awake, kneeing whoever was between his legs trying to undo his belt directly in the chin. Jeremy grunted, but didn’t stop undoing his belt.

“J-Jeremy, what’re you doing??” Ryan hissed.

“Shh!” Jeremy shushed, “You’ll wake up Gavin!”

Ryan glanced at Gavin sleeping on his hospital bed and Jeremy succeeded in getting a hand in his underwear. He gripped the arm of the chair he was sitting in tightly, biting his lip as Jeremy got his cock out. 

“J-Jer, th-this is-“ he huffed as Jeremy stroked him, _“Oh god.”_

Jeremy’s tongue licked up his cock and he bit back a moan. _God, I’m dreaming. I must be dreaming._ He squeezed his eyes closed and bit down on his fist to keep himself quiet. Either way, dreaming or not, he needed to be quiet if he was going to let this happen. And of course he was going to let this happen. 

Jeremy’s mouth closed around the head of his cock, tongue swiping over the tip before curling under him. He slid forward, halfway down, easily and Ryan decided this couldn’t be a dream. It was too real to be one of his fantasies about Jeremy. The texture of his tongue, the stiffness of his lips around him, the lightest brush of teeth. Too many details. It was real. Jeremy was sucking his cock. 

Ryan’s free hand pushed through his hair as he pulled back and pushed forward again. He was easing Ryan into his mouth and down his throat, careful to keep the slick noises to a minimum. Ryan was pressing back against the chair, head dropping back as he struggled not to thrust into Jeremy’s hot, wet throat squeezing around him. 

Jeremy started quickly, his head moving in practiced motions. _Fuck, he’s good at this._ Ryan’s eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling. _Good. Why is he good?_ Ryan recalled one time the topic had come up. Jeremy said he’d never blown anyone before.

Ryan stared at the ceiling with wide eyes as he realized it wasn’t Jeremy between his legs. Because of course it wasn’t. _Fuck. What. Fuck. What do I do??_ Rimmy sucked lightly and he jolted, stifling another moan. _Don’t just sit here! Do something!_

He sat up abruptly, shoving Rimmy out of his lap. His mouth pulled off with a very slick popping noise as he fell back onto his ass. Ryan’s face was crimson as he quickly stuffed his wet cock back in his jeans and fumbled, trying to find a weapon. No guns in the hospital and his knives were missing. _Fuck._

Before he could do much of anything, Rimmy pointed a taser at him. 

“Payback’s a bitch, Haywood,” he growled.

He fired and Ryan seized as the prongs stuck into his guts. He growled around clenched teeth as he tried to move his hand towards the wires. He swayed as Rimmy let go and his hand shot to the wires to rip them out.

“Ah!” Rimmy warned.

Ryan looked up to find Rimmy pointing a gun at Gavin’s head.

“Think he’d survive this bullet?” Rimmy sneered, “Be good and sit still or you see an abstract art piece across his pillow. The medium being his fucking brains.”

Ryan froze, breathing heavy as his eyes darted over Rimmy, Gavin, and the gun. The safety was off. Ryan was fast, but at their distances, Rimmy would succeed in killing Gavin before he reached him. 

“Stupid cuck,” Rimmy snorted, “You’d be so much better off if you just gave up on caring about people. You’re so easy to manipulate.”

That really stung Ryan’s ego, his jaw clenching tightly and his face back to burning in embarrassment. 

“You could’ve just let me blow you,” Rimmy pointed out, “But no, what if your Jeremy found out? What a fucking tragedy. You might lose your chances with him. As if you’d ever get the balls to actually take what you want.”

Ryan’s fists clenched. He was right. Jeremy had taken the next step for them because Ryan was too much of a fucking loser. 

“So quiet, Ryan,” Rimmy taunted, “What’s wrong? Cant even defend yourself? Can’t come up with a decent protest against the truth? God, how can you possibly be the same person? You are such a little bitch. No wonder your Jeremy doesn’t respect you.”

Ryan started to lift, face twisting in a scowl, but Rimmy hit the trigger again and he seized. He huffed as the trigger was released, swaying as he shook his head, trying to make his brain right itself.

“What’d I say?” Rimmy sneered, “So easy to manipulate. And fun to torture.”

He hit the trigger again and a scream bubbled in Ryan’s throat that never made it out.

~

Jeremy relaxed significantly as he got a message from Ryan saying Geoff had finally answered and Gavin had woken up and gone back to sleep again. Apparently he seemed fine now. _Thank god._ Jeremy rubbed his hand over his forehead, trying to will away his headache. 

“Are you alright?” 

Jeremy jumped, looking around at Ryan walking over to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured him, “Just a bit of a headache.”

Ryan sat on the bed beside him and hesitantly took his hand. 

“Jeremy,” he murmured.

Jeremy reached out to grab his jacket and pull him in for another kiss. Talking clearly was not, nor would it ever be, their strong suit. Ryan pressed back eagerly, pushing his hands through Jeremy’s hair. 

“Jeremy,” he huffed between sloppy kisses, “Please.”

Jeremy shoved at his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. Ryan pulled back enough to yank it off, dropping it on the floor without breaking the kiss. He shoved the blanket off Jeremy’s legs and Jeremy spread them to give Ryan room to push up between them. Jeremy fumbled with Ryan’s belt and jeans, while Ryan shoved his hospital gown up. Jeremy yanked his shirt out of his opened jeans and tugged it up. Ryan pulled back to yank it over his head and Jeremy stared at his bare chest.

“Ryan...” Jeremy murmured as Ryan leaned back toward him, “Why are my initials tattooed over your heart?”

“Ah, shit,” Ryan muttered, “I forgot.”

Jeremy’s eyes trailed up to his face. Vagabond grinned at him.

“Now are you going to be a good boy?” He asked, voice full of dark amusement, “Or am I going to have to hurt you?”

He leaned forward.

“Please say I get to hurt you,” he murmured, still grinning, “That’s my favorite pastime.”

Jeremy was frozen. There he was, injured, knees in different area codes, and Vagabond between his thighs. What the actual fuck was he supposed to do? His eyes dropped back to the tattoo. _JD._ On his heart. Like he belonged to Jeremy. Jeremy reached out and touched the black ink.

“You like it?” Vagabond asked, leaning closer, “You like me belonging to you, darlin’?”

He pressed his hand over Jeremy’s, flattening it over his tattoo.

“You know, I always loved him twice as much as he loved me,” he commented, “I think it’s fair I should get twice as much of him for all my devotion.”

Then suddenly there was a butterfly knife in his hand. Jeremy swallowed nervously as he watched him flip it around, still frozen solid. Then the blade pressed over Jeremy’s heart and Jeremy trembled.

“How about I give you a pretty matching scar?” Vagabond mused, “Just to seal the deal. Oh, and I need you to be real quiet for me.”

He placed his free hand over Jeremy’s mouth and leaned over to speak in his ear.

“Just be still and enjoy yourself, darlin’,” he whispered, “Or what Gold did to your ribs will pale in comparison to what I’ll do to you.”

Jeremy flinched, the memory of Gavin and Michael’s alternates shuddering through him. He panicked, unfreezing enough to struggle against Vagabond, clawing at his arms and pushing at his shoulders. He flailed, trying knee him in the side, but he was too weak and Vagabond’s hips easily shoved him down, painfully flattening him against the bed.

“I warned you,” Vagabond growled in his ear.

Jeremy screamed against Vagabond’s hand as the knife carved into him.

~

Michael woke up to Gavin’s gangly mess of limbs plopping down on his lap. He groaned miserably, shoving at Gavin’s hands on his chest.

“‘M sore,” he grumbled.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll do all the work,” Gavin cooed.

_Wha?_ Michael jerked awake, pushing up onto his elbows as Gold ground their hips together.

“Wh-What’re you-?” He grunted, disoriented, “Wh-Why are you here?”

“Why do you think?” Gold laughed, hands trailing up Michael’s chest, “I had so much fun, I wanted to see you a second time.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Michael grunted, sitting up and shoving at Gold, “I was tired and stupid. I’m not doing that again.”

“Wanna see something that might change your mind?” Gold offered, grinning.

“Fuck no, go away!” Michael snapped.

Gold stuck out his tongue to show off a tongue piercing. Michael was distracted a moment. _How many piercings does this guy have? Are his..._ Michael glanced down at his chest. Gold noticed his look down and Michael jerked his eyes away, clearing his throat. _Who cares?? Why would I care??_

Gold started undoing the buttons on his shirt. Michael struggled, fighting the urge to watch, but ultimately losing. Gold pulled the two halves of his shirt open to show off that he did in fact have nipple piercings. And a belly button piercing. Michael couldn’t fucking breathe. Were piercings a fetish? He didn’t realize they were, but they certainly seemed to be because his dick was getting hard at finding all this new metal on Gold. 

“Wow, it’s adorable how similar you two are,” Gold mused, “Two little Micools. So cute!”

“F-Fuck off,” Michael mumbled distractedly.

He wanted to put his mouth on those nipple piercings. Why was he resisting? Did it really matter? It’s not like he was with his Gavin or anyone else. And Gold knew his secret and didn’t care. _So this... should be fine...right?_ His hands hesitantly reached for Gold’s waist, smoothing up his sides. _Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, Jones,_ he thought dryly as he leaned toward Gold’s chest. 

He closed his mouth around Gold’s right nipple, sucking it and the ring inside. He scraped his teeth around his nipple as his tongue swiped over the metal. He tugged lightly on the left piercing at the same time. 

“Come on, Micool, you got better than that,” Gold groaned.

Michael growled as he bit down on Gold’s nipple and tugged sharply on the other ring. Gold cried out, writhing in Michael’s lap. Then he suddenly shoved Michael back down on the couch, nearly getting his piercings ripped off. Michael’s hands ran up his tanned thighs, which he now realized were bare. He was wearing a short skirt, showing off his beautiful golden thighs and doing nothing to hide his boner. Michael squeezed at his thighs as Gold’s hands ran up Michael’s chest to his neck. 

“I can’t wait to see you turn red,” he cooed, squeezing, “You’re so much more fun than little Rimmy. Though he did cry so pretty under me.”

Michael’s head spun.

“Y-You?” He choked, gripping at Gold’s wrists, _“You_ d-did that t-to Jeremy??”

“Oh, yes,” Gold sneered, pressing more weight into Michael’s throat, “Let me guess, none of you thought little scrawny Gavvy would flay off someone’s skin. Typical. No one ever suspects the power behind the Golden Boy.”

He leaned down closer to Michael’s face while Michael weakly tried to push him away.

“Do you know why they called me the Golden Boy?” He murmured.

He shrugged his shoulders and his shirt slipped down, revealing burn scars all over his shoulders and upper arms. Michael’s eyes were drawn to the marred skin as his hands weakened and his vision darkened. Gavin’s beautiful eyes stared at him blankly, passively, as Gold choked him like he was trying to kill him.

“It’s because I left the orphanage covered in flames the color of gold,” he breathed, “The Golden Boy, born of flame and pain. Is it really any wonder I’m drawn to the little spitfire?”

He leaned down and kissed Michael’s lips gently as Michael’s arms went limp.

“Good night, little spitfire,” he whispered.

Michael faded.

~

“Geoff.”

Geoff grunted as he woke up to the sound of Jack’s voice. He rolled over and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He blinked blearily at her shape in the moonlight. 

“Jack?” He mumbled, “What’s up?”

Jack stepped closer, more fully into the light from his window and his eyes went wide. He immediately covered them.

“What-What are you doing??” He demanded, “Why’re you-What’s going on?!”

The bed dipped as Jack crawled onto it and over him, straddling his hips. He swallowed nervously as she tugged his hands from his face and placed them on her bare waist.

“J-Jack, what’s happening?” He huffed as she pressed him down into his bed.

“What’s it look like, Geoff?” She snorted.

She reached between them and tugged his boxers down. He was embarrassed as his boner flipped up and whacked her in the ass. 

“I...d-don’t understand,” he mumbled as she shifted back, “I-Is this...wh-why are you doing this?”

“Because I want to,” Jack answered, “Don’t you want to?”

She grasped his cock and he grunted.

“Y-Yeah, _yes,_ obviously I-I want to,” he stammered breathlessly, “B-But...aren’t you...”

He trailed off as she pressed his cock to her pussy. He wanted it so bad, but... He sat up and pushed her gently off his lap. He pulled his underwear back up.

“Are you doing this because it’s what _I_ want?” He murmured.

She suddenly burst into tears, covering her face and Geoff stared at her in shock. She never cried. _Oh god, I fucked up._

“Jack, I-I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “What...I-I wasn’t trying to offend you o-or anything.”

“No, you stupid idiot!” Jack cried, her hands jerking away from her face into fists, “You didn’t do anything wrong! I love you so much!”

She launched at him, throwing her arms around him. Geoff blushed, putting his arms around her too.

“I love you too,” he muttered, “I’m so confused right now.”

Jack pulled back and put her hand to his face.

“I want to be with you forever,” she whispered tearfully, “Do you...also want to be with me forever?”

“I mean, as long as you’ll have me,” Geoff answered, putting his hand over hers.

She smiled softly.

“Oh, Geoff, I’m so happy,” she breathed.

He smiled back. How could he worry with Jack by his side? Everything was going to be fine. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. He felt his heart lift and warmth spread through his chest. 

He grunted, freezing as sudden pain stabbed into his guts. _What...what?_ Jack guided him onto his back, still smiling gently. He wheezed, face twisting in confusion as he looked down at the knife handle sticking out of him. _Knife. Jack._ He looked at her sternum. _Blank. No matching tattoo. Not Jack._

He looked in her alternate’s soft, warm eyes as she caressed his cheek. 

“Wh...Why?” He huffed.

“So we can be together forever, Geoff,” she whispered.

Tears leaked out of Geoff’s eyes. _All of that...it wasn’t Jack. She never loved me back. She never kissed me._ His heart had always been a fragile, glass thing that Jack held in her hands. As he went cold, as he choked on blood, she dropped it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fuckery is strong with this one. 
> 
> How fucked would it be if I just ended it here though? 😂


	16. Chapter 16

“Jack, pick up!” Kingpin snapped into his phone.

He hung up and dialed again, not faltering in his pacing. Jack watched him as went. He was on call seven now. He had a carefully laid plan that hinged on his Jack picking up her phone. He was waiting for her to give the signal to everyone else. Whatever her job, he was refusing to progress without her signal, so it must’ve been important. Whatever was happening, intentional or not, Alternate was buying Jack’s family time. 

Time she desperately hoped was enough.

~

“What?!” Rimmy hissed into his phone, “She’s done _what?!”_

Ryan swayed weakly, blinking as he tried to focus. 

On a different floor of the hospital, Jeremy was also trying to focus.

“Gone AWOL,” Vagabond growled, “That stupid cunt is going to ruin the whole thing!”

_Which stupid cunt?_ Jeremy wondered.

“You think I don’t know that?!” Rimmy snarled, “Whatever, take him and go before the rest of this plan goes to shit!”

_Take who?_ Ryan wondered.

“Watch it, Jeremy,” Vagabond warned lowly.

Jeremy blinked, focusing on Vagabond. _What’d I do?_

“We don’t have time for your shit right now, Ryan!” Rimmy snapped, “If you want him, you need to move!”

_Want him. Ryan. Take him._ Ryan moved. Rimmy had holstered his gun to hold the phone because Ryan was too out of it to try anything and if he did, he still had the taser in him. But Ryan was a bit dumb and extremely angry. No one was taking Jeremy again. Rimmy hit the taser trigger as Ryan launched at him and Ryan seized, collapsing on him more than tackling him. Rimmy hissed out a string of curses and insults as Ryan crushed him. 

In another room, Vagabond suddenly stood up.

“Jeremy??” He demanded, “What’s happening??”

Jeremy didn’t know. What _was_ happening? He was missing too much. Missing so much. He struggled to focus on Ryan whose face looked panicked as he glanced back at him. Then he was sprinting out of the room, leaving Jeremy utterly confused. And cold. So cold. 

Ryan panicked. Gavin was injured. Was Gavin in trouble? Jeremy looked around blearily. _Help._ His hand patted around on the bed. _Help._ His hand landed on the nurse call button. _Help._ He pressed the button.

~

“-he mean, sit tight??” Gavin’s voice hissed.

Michael was waking up. _Slowly._

“Goddamnit, I knew we shouldn’t have trusted that crazy bitch!” Gavin growled, “Just knock him out and get over to her and Kingpin’s alternate!...I could give a fuck! Go! _Now!”_

Michael was confused and dazed. _Who? What?_ He blinked, blearily, slowly bringing his brain online as his eyes were drawn to movement. Gavin was pacing back and forth beside the couch he was laying on. In a skirt. Had he worn a skirt before? He looked pretty in a skirt. 

“Crazy fucking bitch!” Gavin shrieked, hands gripping at his hair, “I should’ve known we couldn’t trust her!”

_Who?_

“We can trust loyal little Jack,” Gavin sneered as he kept pacing, “Absolute whipped moron!”

_Jack? Why would Gavin call Jack a crazy bitch?_ Michael’s brain slotted into place. He wouldn’t. Gavin would _never_ say that. Michael could do little about this revelation. Every part of him ached, especially his brain and his throat. He couldn’t remember why, but considering Gold was there, he figured it was his fault.

“Can’t trust any of these fucking psychos,” Gold grumbled.

Michael was slowly, weakly coming back to himself as Gold continued pacing beside him. He quietly and carefully slipped his hand between the couch cushions for the gun hidden there. Gold stopped and looked over suddenly.

“How are you awake?” He wondered.

“Positive mental attitude,” Michael rasped.

His hand closed on the grip and he yanked the gun out, whipping it around to point at Gold’s head. 

“You can’t kill me,” Gold pointed out.

“True,” Michael whispered.

The gun dropped and he squeezed the trigger.

_ Bang! _

“Son of a whore!” Gold growled as the bullet sank into his thigh.

He dropped to the floor, clutching at the wound. Michael sat up dizzily and swayed, struggling to keep upright. He really needed another nap. And he needed to remember what was going on.

~

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

Geoff weakly tried to turn his head to look at the source of Michael’s voice. Michael leaned down over him to touch his hand to Jack’s throat where she was laying on Geoff’s chest. Michael let out a string of curses and focused on Geoff.

“Fuck, are you still alive?” He grunted, “Jesus, she didn’t even finish the fucking job. Unbelievable.”

He stood back up and got his phone out. Geoff’s vision was too blurry to really focus on him. 

“Hey, I’m at your fake’s place...” he muttered, “Because someone had to fucking do something!...He’s not dead, but she is. The crazy bitch tried to murder-suicide, but fucking failed...I’ll call her what she fucking is!”

Geoff choked, struggling to get air in and blood out. Michael leaned over him and turned his head to the side. 

“He’s gonna die,” he grumbled, “What do I do?”

~

“Fuck,” Kingpin growled, rubbing his forehead, “Save him. We’ll regroup.”

He hung up his phone, a host of emotions rapidly flickering across his face. Despair, anxiety, frustration, and finally he settled on anger.

“Fuck!” He shouted, “Son of a bitch! One fucking job!”

He suddenly reeled back and threw his phone against the wall. He turned back to Jack, starting to unchain her from the chair. Jack’s brain tried to catch up. If she was here with Kingpin, wouldn’t it stand to reason that her alternate was with Geoff? If she failed, Geoff was probably safe. And Jack had only cooperated out of fear for everyone’s safety, so if everyone was safe...

Once she was freed from the chains, Jack slammed her foot up into Kingpin’s balls so hard he fell over. She dropped on him, flattening him to the floor and pushing the air out of him. She reeled back and smashed her fist into his face.

_ Whack! _

“How dare you threaten my family?!” She growled.

_ Whack! _

“Did you think you could just get rid of us?!”

Whack!

“That we’d just _let_ you kill us?!”

_ Whack! _

“Don’t you know we’re fire?”

_ Whack! _

“If you fuck with us-“

_ Whack! _

“-you get burned,” she finished in a whisper.

_ Whack! _

Kingpin went limp and Jack tried to catch her breath. Geoff’s bloody, mangled face had bile in her throat and tears in her eyes. _Oh, god, Geoff, please be okay!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slut Club chapter 16: Everyone is Confused and Jack is a Badass -Patron Saint Ky, hitting us with the accurate subtitles.


	17. Chapter 17

“Get off me, you giant fucker!” 

Gavin blinked fuzziness from his eyes. _Jeremy?_

“Damnit, why are you so fucking heavy?!” Jeremy growled, “I swear mine’s not this much of a fatass!”

_What?_ Gavin’s head lulled to the side to look towards the source of Jeremy’s voice. On the floor, Ryan was laying over Jeremy, weakly trying to pin him down. 

“You’re not...taking him...again,” Ryan huffed, pushing up off Jeremy’s chest.

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want, cuck!” Jeremy wheezed, “You can’t stop me, you pathetic asshole!”

Gavin’s brain started to catch up. _Alternates. That’s not Jeremy._ Ryan looked exhausted and weak, swaying and struggling to stay upright. Gavin fumbled around trying to find the nurse call button and managed to find it right before Vagabond burst into the room. Gavin watched helplessly as Vagabond grabbed Ryan by the collar and tossed him across the room.

“Jeremy, are you alright??” He asked a bit frantically, crouching by Rimmy, “Did he hurt you?”

“F-Fine, I’m fine,” Rimmy huffed, “H-He broke my wrist.”

Vagabond stood back up and stormed over to where Ryan was trying to sit up. He slammed his boot onto Ryan’s face and kicked him repeatedly. Gavin kept pressing the call button, tears streaming down his face. All he could do was watch Vagabond hurt Ryan, there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

“Stop, please stop!” He cried hoarsely.

“Great the loud mouth’s awake,” Rimmy grumbled, leaning over Gavin, “Quiet.”

He put his hand over Gavin’s mouth and pinched his nose. Gavin struggled weakly, unable to do much but paw at Rimmy’s jacket. His brain pounded in his skull from the lack of oxygen. _What do I do?? Ryan’s in trouble!_ Jeremy’s fiery brown eyes glared down at him. _Jeremy._ Jeremy had a shoulder holster. Gavin’s hand plunged into Rimmy’s jacket and he snatched the gun under his armpit.

_ Bang! _

“Son of a bitch!” Rimmy yelped, stumbling back.

Gavin gasped in huge breaths, his head clearing somewhat and his grip on the gun steadying. Rimmy gripped at his side, just above his hip, face curling into a snarl at Gavin. Vagabond was beside him, arm going around him to help hold him up. He too glared at Gavin.

“I’m going to carve you into pieces just like I did your Jeremy,” he growled.

“W-We need to get out,” Rimmy huffed, gripping at Vagabond’s jacket, “Before security.”

Vagabond hoisted him up and hurried out of the room. Gavin watched them go, wondering if he should try to stop them.

~

Jack puffed out a relieved sigh as Trevor entered the room, dropping her arms to not point the gun at him. 

“Fucking _Christ,_ I thought you were the rest of these assholes,” she muttered, “What’s going on?”

“Geoff’s on his way to the ER,” Trevor answered, “We prioritized you and Michael, being that the others are in the hospital. He dead?”

“No, just knocked out,” Jack dismissed, “Is Michael okay?”

“Some of b team’s headed over to him and Gold now,” Trevor assured her, “Let’s get over to the hospital.”

She nodded and followed him out while some of b team took care of Kingpin. She didn’t want to give herself false hope, but it seemed like things were going okay for her family. At least half of them were accounted for and the other half had at least hospital security on their side. Still, she sped the whole way to the hospital. 

Once there, she and Trevor split up, assuming the other crew had done the same. Trevor went to Jeremy and she went to Gavin. She was still down the hall when a gunshot suddenly rang out. She hurried forward, drawing her own weapon. Then Ryan exited the room carrying Jeremy, who was wounded. Except _no,_ that was Vagabond and Rimmy. Rimmy was the one who’d been shot. 

She ducked into a different room before they could spot her and let them leave. No point in continuing to fight just then. They wouldn’t get far with Rimmy injured and it was best not to risk death. Once they passed, she ran the few feet left to Gavin’s room. 

Gavin hesitated to lower the gun when she entered the room, looking like he might shoot her. She glanced around for Ryan to find him on the floor. He was knocked out, his face mangled like someone had fucked it up as bad as she fucked up Kingpin’s. She holstered her weapon to put Gavin at ease, but Gavin’s face twisted up and the gun stayed pointed at her.

“Why did you do that?” He questioned, “Why did you switch?”

“How the hell did you even know that?” Jack wondered.

“The...the crack in your grip,” Gavin answered, “You got it from holding it too tightly.”

_ Shit. Should’ve switched guns.  _ They'd switched everything but the guns.

“Why did you do it?!” He demanded.

There were tears in his eyes.

“I...wanted to give Geoff a better version of me,” Jack admitted, “Starting to think that was fucking stupid.”

“No shit!” Gavin snapped, “Better version?! Are you fucking stupid?! He loves _you!_ How could you abandon him like that?! H-How could you j-just leave him?! H-How c-could you leave us?! L-Leave _me?!”_

He choked, the gun dropping to his lap as he covered his face. 

“I-I don’t want t-to lose another m-mommy!” He sobbed.

Jack’s heart wrenched in her chest. 

“Gavin, I-“ she started.

She was interrupted by security showing up. _Oh god. I’ve...fucked everything up._

~

Michael was only slightly more coherent by the time Ray showed up. Though he was struggling to grasp the details of the situation, he’d mostly remembered the gist of it. He let Ray take the gun from him and guide him to a van. 

“‘M sorry ‘m not a very good friend,” he mumbled as Ray pushed him flat on the floor of the van.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Ray assured him, “Just get some rest, okay?”

“Okay.”

Michael wondered where they were going. He hoped a hospital. Maybe the doctors would make his brain stop hurting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slut club is foiled.


	18. Chapter 18

Ryan woke up broken and shouting Jeremy’s name. Definitely not the first time that had happened. He demanded to be given his clothes and taken to Jeremy as he ripped the IV out and the wires off. Jack showed up and calmed the staff down then handed over his clothes and led him to Jeremy. She told him mostly everyone was safe and not to worry too much, just rest and try to recover before sending him into Jeremy’s room.

Jeremy wasn’t there. There was a mound of bandages where he should’ve been. Ryan stood beside him, hands hovering, looking for some place to touch him that was bandage-free. He squeezed his wrist, his fingers brushing the unbandaged half of his face. 

“Jeremy?” He whispered tearfully.

Jeremy’s eyebrows came together and he shifted. His eyes opened and focused on Ryan. He flinched and shrank away from him, whimpering.

“I-It’s me,” Ryan assured him, “I-I’m your Ryan.”

Jeremy’s hand shook as he reached up and gripped at Ryan’s shirt collar. Ryan pulled it down to show his bare chest. Jeremy ran his fingers over his heart. _Vagabond showed him the tattoo._ Jeremy relaxed significantly after being certain there was no tattoo there and reached weakly for Ryan. Ryan put his arms around him carefully, trying to avoid as many bandages as he could as he sat on his bed and pulled him close, ignoring his own broken ribs. Jeremy whimpered into his shoulder.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” Ryan soothed, rubbing his back, “I’ve got you. I won’t let them hurt you again.”

He kissed Jeremy’s temple, brushing his hand through his hair. Jeremy gripped at Ryan’s shirt, crying into his shoulder. Ryan was exhausted, his whole body aching, but all he could think was that he should’ve been there. Should’ve figured Rimmy out faster. Should’ve fought him off. Should’ve been _better._

~

“Well?” Jack prompted.

“We...can’t find them,” Trevor muttered, “Mogar and BrownMan are both AWOL.”

“What?!” Jack demanded.

“Mogar wasn’t at the base,” Trevor explained, “The cams were trashed, there was some blood, but no Mogar. We tried to go to BrownMan because he wasn’t answering his phone. We found it and some blood, but no BrownMan. We’re scouring LS for them now.”

Jack rubbed her forehead tiredly.

“Nothing on Mogar and Gold’s alternates?” She pressed.

“Not since Mogar’s alternate contacted us,” Trevor answered, “He left before we got to King and your alternate.”

_ Whack! _

Jack grunted as her fist went through plaster. 

“Keep looking,” she muttered, “Keep eyes on Vagabond and Rimmy’s alternates as well. We’ll keep this place on lockdown while we’re at it. Keep me updated.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Trevor agreed.

He left and Jack yanked her fist from the wall and went back into Gavin’s room. He’d gone back to sleep after relaying everything he knew. He’d refused to say anything else to her, instead turning away and crying. _A lot._

She sat beside his bed, head dropping. He was right to be angry. She fucked up. Had Alternate even been telling the truth? Was Kingpin as bad as she’d said? Or had Jack been duped by herself, of all people? Did it matter what the truth was about them? 

The truth about herself was all that mattered, really. And that truth was that she’d abandoned them, that she’d caused all of this. Now all she could do was wait, pray they’d be okay, and live with the consequences. 

~

Michael grunted as he was dropped on his ass. He blinked heavily, swaying in the dim light. Someone crouched by him and the clicking sound of locking seemed to echo in the room. Michael lifted his hands, confused by his heavy wrists. _Shackles?_ They were on his ankles too. 

He jerked awake, yanking on the chains and looking around wildly. It was his own face that was sneering at him. He tried to slam his fist into that face, but Mogar easily leaned out of the way. 

“Want some advice?” Mogar grunted, “Save your fucking strength. You’re gonna need it. Gav’s about to really fuck you up.”

“Fuck off, asshole,” Michael growled, swinging at him again, “Pathetic piece of shit cuck! You always send your boyfriend in to fuck your enemies?”

“Husband,” Mogar corrected, “And I don’t do shit. He’s the plan maker. You should know I’m a fucking idiot, considering what a fucking idiot you are. Shouldn’t’ve shot him, now he’s gonna play with you.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Michael snarled, “What did you do to Ray?!”

“Nothing,” Mogar snorted, “He came quietly when I mentioned our Gavin used to fuck our Ray.”

“You’re lying,” Michael accused.

“Why the hell would I lie about that?” Mogar wondered.

“I don’t fucking know!” Michael snapped, “I already told you, you’re all a fucking mystery of crazy!”

“Whatever, man,” Mogar muttered, standing up, “Anyway, have fun.”

Michael spat at him, but missed. Mogar snorted, rolling his eyes as the spit landed on the cold concrete. Michael shouted obscenities at him as he made his way up the rickety stairs and slammed the roughly painted white door. _Asshole._ No way in hell Ray would work with them willingly. So why were they trying to convince him of that? His head dropped against the wall. 

Maybe he wasn’t lying. Maybe Ray _was_ working with them, pretending to be friends to help protect Michael. That seemed like a Ray move. Ray was always the best actor of them. He had a mask for a face. A mask of apathy and laziness. He was great at looking casual even when he was in terrifying situations. Like he knew shit was going down, but he just didn’t care. 

If he _was_ pretending, then he should be safe for now. Michael hoped that was the case. He wasn’t exactly in a position to help him out if he was in trouble. Especially since he just realized he was only in a t-shirt and boxers. He had nothing to fight with but his fists. Though that was his favorite method, he imagined they had guns. Fist never beats gun. Well, almost never. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on schedule.


	19. Chapter 19

Jeremy woke up in Ryan’s arms and nearly immediately screamed. He shakily forced it down and tugged at his collar to make sure of his identity. No tattoo. _Ryan._ He relaxed, puffing out a sigh. _Ryan._

Jeremy touched the bandage on his face as he watched Ryan’s sleeping. It was bruised badly and his nose had been broken. He must’ve had a fight with some of the mirrors. His eyebrows were together and his eyes moved rapidly under his eyelids. 

His lips moved, forming Jeremy’s name and he suddenly jerked awake. It took him a second to get his bearings, eyes darting around and finally focusing on Jeremy. He relaxed, reaching out to take Jeremy’s hand.

“Are you alright?” He murmured.

“Fine,” Jeremy rasped, “You?”

“Fine,” Ryan assured him.

“The others?” Jeremy prompted

“Jack said they’re mostly okay,” Ryan answered, “I haven’t talked to her again since she led me in here though.”

“And...the...the _others?”_ Jeremy mumbled nervously.

“I don’t know,” Ryan admitted, “Jack said not to worry.”

_Well, if Jack said it..._ Jeremy shifted, trying to find a comfortable way to lay, but couldn’t with all the stitches pulling and rubbing all over him. He sighed, eventually settling on his side in the position with the least amount of pain and rubbing his undamaged cheek into Ryan’s chest. Ryan brushed his hand through Jeremy’s hair.

“Ryan...” Jeremy murmured, “Are you...like Vagabond? Do you want to...mark me? With your initials?”

Ryan’s hand froze in his hair.

“He marked you?” He asked, tone chilly.

Jeremy looked up hesitantly, but Ryan’s face was an emotional mask as always.

“Yes,” he admitted in a tiny voice.

Anger, absolute rage flashed across Ryan’s face before it was gone again. Jeremy resisted the urge to shrink away from him. 

“You don’t like that,” he squeaked.

“No, I don’t,” Ryan confirmed, voice still frigid.

“Does that mean you don’t want to be with me any more?” Jeremy mumbled.

“Of course not,” Ryan dismissed sharply, “I would never want to leave you for something someone else did to you.”

Jeremy relaxed a bit, looking down and tugging on Ryan’s shirt.

“You...didn’t answer,” he pointed out softly, “Do you want to mark me?”

Ryan was quiet a moment, hesitating it seemed.

“With consent,” he finally answered quietly.

Jeremy smiled, burying his face in Ryan’s chest and hugging him. _Oh thank goodness!_ Ryan hissed, jolting as Jeremy squeezed him. Jeremy backed off.

“What’s wrong??” He demanded.

“Fine,” Ryan assured him.

He was pale and despite his emotionless face, clearly in pain.

“What’s wrong?!” Jeremy demanded more frantically.

“Just...a bit broken,” Ryan muttered, “You don’t have to...move away.”

He tugged lightly at Jeremy’s shirt like he was trying to encourage him to come back. Jeremy noted it looked like he had a brace on under his shirt. His ribs are broken. Jeremy carefully shifted back toward him, avoiding his ribs. He seemed to relax as Jeremy pressed back against him and his hand brushed through Jeremy’s hair again. Jeremy blushed, rubbing his cheek into his chest again. _Why did it take us so long to get here when it feels so perfectly natural?_

“How did your ribs get broken?” Jeremy asked, trying to move past the embarrassing feelings.

“Vagabond was upset I was fighting Rimmy, I think,” Ryan answered.

“You _think?”_ Jeremy pressed, looking up.

“It was all a bit fuzzy by then,” Ryan explained.

“They fucked you up pretty bad,” Jeremy murmured.

“You too,” Ryan pointed out.

“Yeah, guess so,” Jeremy mumbled.

He settled down, trying to push down memories. He didn’t want to remember now. Or ever.

~

“Anything?” Jack grunted into her phone.

She was pacing back and forth while Gavin watched her with exhausted eyes. He was stuck watching her pace, with little else to occupy him. He couldn’t sleep any more. He couldn’t cry either. 

“Okay, they must’ve left town,” she muttered, “If BrownMan is with them, they might be going up to his place. Send a small scouting team up, but no one moves in without my say so.”

_What about Ray?_

“Yes, so please be cautious,” Jack murmured, “No colors, unmarked. We don’t want to alarm anyone...Okay, get back to me when you’ve checked it out...Later.”

She hung up and slipped her phone away. Then she sat in a chair, dropping her face into her hands. 

“What’ve I done?” She mumbled, “I’ve fucked everything.”

“I think that’s an exaggeration,” Gavin grunted as he sat up further.

She stood up and hurried to his side.

“How are you doing?” She asked, hands moving toward him.

She snapped them back away from him quickly.

“Can I get you anything?” She offered.

“Water,” he rasped, “Then tell me what’s going on.”

She retrieved some water for him and relayed what she knew. Geoff, Ryan, and Jeremy were all injured, but safe in the hospital. They had Kingpin, Roadkill was dead, and they had eyes on Rimmy and Vagabond, but were searching for Gold and Mogar who might have both Ray and Michael, likely injured. Gavin sighed heavily, rubbing his palms into his eyelids. _What a bloody mess._

_Okay._ Priority one was obviously locating X-Ray and his boi. 

“Have someone pick up my tablet from base,” he muttered, “I can get deeper in my network than they can to look for them.”

“You need anything else?” Jack asked, getting out her phone.

“Food would be nice,” Gavin answered, “Starving.”

“Should I have them pick up something or ask the nurses to bring something?” Jack questioned.

“Best have the nurses bring something,” Gavin murmured, “Quicker that.”

Jack nodded and popped out to talk to the nurses while she presumably texted b team. Gavin fidgeted with his blanket as she came back and sat beside him again.

“Look, about what I said,” he started.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Jack assured him, “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s not,” Gavin dismissed, “I...It’s not really a secret I’m an orphan. It just...didn’t come up. But I imagine most of Fake AH have little or no family. Or bad family.”

Jack nodded, leaning over to brace her forearms on her thighs and stare down at the floor.

“Yeah, I...mine disowned me,” she admitted, “When I came out. Dad actually tried to shoot me. Anyway, I...I’m sorry. You’re right to be angry.”

“I’m not angry,” Gavin denied, “I’m...a bit peeved, but not angry. How could you think Geoff would want this? He loves you. We all do.”

“Why?” Jack wondered, continuing to stare at the floor, “I’m so...awful. I find it repulsive when people show me affection and care.”

Gavin’s wound began aching and he huffed, shifting around as he tried to focus on Jack.

“So what?” He grunted, “Sorry if I seem dismissive, but everyone has preferences on how they’re treated. Why you think Geoff never told you he’s mad about you? He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“But why??” Jack demanded, “Why does he care?? Why do any of you care??”

“You having a laugh?” Gavin grumbled, scowling, “You’re family, you bloody pillock.”

“You need pain meds,” Jack realized, “You’ve gone all British.”

“‘S still the truth,” Gavin grit out through his teeth.

“Okay, I got it, relax,” Jack muttered, pressing the nurse call button.

Gavin gripped her sleeve.

“‘S okay how you are,” he huffed through the growing pain, “We’re all nutters. But you care ‘bout us ‘n we care ‘bout you. That’s what matters.”

Jack smiled, squeezing his wrist.

“I got it, buddy, relax,” she soothed.

Gavin relaxed back, letting go of her. 

“I...d-didn’t mean to make you feel like...like you had to be my mum or anythin’,” he muttered as the nurses came in.

“It’s okay, Gav,” Jack assured him, “I’m not gonna be a great _mum,_ but I’m alright with it.”

Gavin smiled weakly as the nurses gave him drugs and food. _Okay, let’s focus on getting my head on right and find X-Ray and my boi. Before something bad happens._

~

“It’s truly amazing how similar you are,” Gold mused.

Michael snarled at him around the cloth he’d gagged him with. 

“All trussed up, gagged, and hard for me,” Gold murmured, looking down between Michael’s legs, “You wanna come for me too? Before I start cutting?”

A switchblade was suddenly clicking open in his hand.

“Or we can wait until after,” he offered, “When you want it so bad you forget why you were resisting. Not everyone gets off when I play with them, consider yourself lucky.”

The knife was cold against Michael’s inner knee. 

“Rimmy certainly didn’t,” Gold sneered, “Though I bet I could’ve pretty easily. He’s a freaky little thing.”

Michael’s jaw clenched and he bit down on the cloth, face twisting. Remembering Jeremy’s deathly pale face and the way his skin had hung off his ribs filled him with white hot rage. He jerked against the bindings, hands clawing at air as he fought against the chains. He didn’t make an inch of progress from the wall, considering how shortly he was chained to it. Gold raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to stop struggling.

“Speaking of, you know, all you had to do was let me ride you,” he pointed out, “You just needed to be still like a good little boy.” 

The knife trailed down Michael’s torso to where he was embarrassingly hard. Gold tapped the flat of the blade on the tip of Michael’s cock.

“But you just had to fight,” he muttered, “I suppose it is why I’m so attracted to you. Though you’re not nearly as good as my actual boi.”

He leaned forward and gripped a handful of Michael’s curls, yanking his head to the side. The blade ghosted over Michael’s neck while Gold’s breath ghosted over this ear.

“Though you are quite fun,” he whispered, “You bend to my will so easily. You should be a fun little toy.”

The knife burned into Michael as it sliced downward.

“While you last,” Gold growled against his ear.

Michael forced down a sound of pain as the knife carved into him. _Don’t give this asshole the satisfaction._ He closed eyes tightly. _Just hang on until he finds you..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am tired and I am sick.


	20. Chapter 20

Geoff assumed the nurses would call Jack over as soon as he woke up and they did. She stood in the corner, watching them bustle around checking his vitals and asking how his pain was. She was patient, but visibly upset, shifting and crossing her arms. She looked like she wanted to pace around and hit something. Sort of her whole deal. 

When they gave Geoff food and left him, she finally approached. She didn’t sit. She just stared at him a moment like she hadn’t seen him in years.

“Let me see your tattoo,” he muttered.

She glanced at the door before turning towards him and lifting her shirt to show the FAHC tattoo between her breasts. Geoff nodded and looked back at the food. She dropped her shirt and crossed her arms again.

“How is everyone?” Geoff asked.

“Gavin, Ryan, and Jeremy are all injured,” Jack answered, “But awake. Functioning. _Mostly._ But Ray and Michael are AWOL, we think taken by Gold and Mogar.”

“Jeremy and Gavin, did they get more injured while I was sleeping or something?” Geoff pressed.

“Not Gavin,” Jack assured, “But Jeremy did, yes. Vagabond got a hold of him and...he, uh...Trevor said there was so much blood he thought Jeremy was dead at first.”

Geoff’s stomach churned and he felt like throwing up.

“And Ry?” He prompted.

“Broken nose and ribs,” Jack explained, “They said he might have arrhythmia from getting tased so much. Apparently he actually went into cardiac arrest, but with him being here he got medical attention pretty quick.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Geoff breathed, covering his face.

At least they were there getting the medical attention they needed. _Michael and Ray..._

“Geoff, I...I’m sorry,” Jack murmured, “For the switch. It was stupid and irresponsible. I’m sorry.”

Geoff’s hands dropped and he looked over at her.

“I’m not ready to deal with that,” he muttered, “We’ll discuss it later.”

Jack nodded her understanding.

“You should check in with Gavin,” he added, looking back at his food.

“Right.”

She left and he stared forlornly at the food on the plate. He ached with how lonely he felt. 

~

Gavin sighed, flipping through camera feeds. Where were they? Where did they take his friends? Nowhere seemed to be the answer. Not in Los Santos anyway. Gavin leaned back, rubbing his face tiredly. It was other him, he should be able to figure this out.

_Where would I go if I kidnapped my boi and X-Ray?_

“Gavin?” Jeremy called into his room.

Gavin turned to look at him, smiling weakly. Jeremy was hesitating at the door, but even from there, Gavin could see how bandaged he was. His heart squeezed.

“Hey, Lil’ J, what’re you doing here?” He asked.

“Wanted to see how you were,” Jeremy mumbled.

He looked like he was half hiding behind the wall, barely peeking around the doorframe at Gavin. He looked timid, a bit... _scared._ Of _Gavin._

“I’m...okay,” Gavin murmured, “How are you?”

“‘M okay,” Jeremy answered.

“Have you seen Ryebread?” Gavin pressed.

These words seemed to relax Jeremy a bit and he stepped hesitantly into the room.

“Yeah, he’s alright,” he assured him, “His ribs got broken. His face is a mess. But he’s okay. As far as I know, anyway.”

He stopped out of arms reach of Gavin.

“Alive at least,” he added, “And sleeping right now.”

He looked less afraid at least, though hesitant. Gavin sluggishly caught him up on the situation. Jeremy sat nearby, still nervous, but getting less so the more Gavin talked. Gavin hummed, considering his behavior. _When they kidnapped him, it must’ve been my alternate that caught him. He must’ve hurt him pretty bad._ Gavin recalled Michael’s alternate saying something about Gold “playing” with them. _Gold must be even more sadistic than I am. Which means he’ll want to hurt them. At least Michael anyway._

He needed somewhere he could torture Michael, away from prying eyes and ears. Someplace with a basement probably. Someplace already prepared for such a thing. But also someplace they wouldn’t think to look. Like the old office building, it needed to be a place they wouldn’t automatically check. Meaning checking Ray’s place would be useless. Gavin rubbed his temples, groaning in frustration.

“What’s up?” Jeremy asked.

“I’m trying to think of some place I wouldn’t think of,” Gavin grumbled.

“Uh, okay?” Jeremy grunted, “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Gold will have taken Ray and Micool somewhere I wouldn’t think of,” Gavin explained, “So I need to think of a place I wouldn’t think of.”

“Oh, I see,” Jeremy murmured, frowning thoughtfully, “So...someplace that wouldn’t even occur to you. So probably not someplace he remembered from his world.”

Gavin frowned at him.

“What do you mean?” He questioned.

“I mean, if he picked some place he knew from his universe, then you might be able to guess it,” Jeremy answered, “If our universes are so similar, wouldn’t it stand to reason all the places you know would be places he knows too?”

“Hm, yes, at least some of them must match up,” Gavin agreed, “So any familiar place to me would be out. _Oh!”_

He suddenly sat up straighter as a lightbulb went off in his head.

“Not someplace he knows, someplace he saw when he got here!” He exclaimed, “I know where he is!”

“I helped?” Jeremy asked, brightening up.

“Helped?!” Gavin huffed, “You bloody well solved the mystery, Jeremy!”

“I did??” Jeremy demanded.

“You did what?” Jack asked as she entered the room.

“He figured out where Gold and Mogar are!” Gavin chirped. 

“Excellent!” Jack exclaimed, “Well done, Jeremy!”

Jeremy blushed, looking away.

“I-I still don’t know,” he pointed out, “I just helped.”

Before Gavin could reveal where the exact location was, Jack’s phone rang.

“It’s Trevor, the scouts must’ve gotten to Ray’s place,” she muttered, answering and putting it on speaker, “Trevor, what’s up?”

“Uh, it’s...hard to explain,” Trevor answered, “But we found BrownMan at his place.”

Gavin frowned. But he was almost certain they were elsewhere.

“He was alone,” Trevor continued, “Tied up in his basement. He says he’s been there for awhile.”

“Awhile?” Jack prompted.

“Longer than he’s supposedly been in Los Santos,” Trevor clarified.

Jeremy, Jack, and Gavin froze, looking at each other in alarm. 

~

“Hey, you doing alright?” Ray grunted as he crouched by Michael.

Michael groaned miserably.

“I know, buddy,” Ray muttered, sighing, “Not much I can do about it.”

“Are you...playing pretend?” Michael mumbled weakly.

“I am,” Ray confirmed, “I’m waiting for the right time.”

He shifted closer and Michael dropped his head on his shoulder. He was burning with pain from being carved up like a turkey and freezing from how much blood he’d lost. He wanted someone to hold him. Ray carefully put his arms around him, holding him to his chest. Michael pawed weakly at his shirt, trying to hang on to the one friendly figure in this hell.

“Don’t worry, Michael,” Ray whispered in his ear, “I’m going to take care of you.”

His hand rubbed over Michael’s outer thigh and he pressed his lips to Michael’s ear.

“I’m going to take very good care of you,” he breathed.

Michael pressed close to him, whimpering as his wounds pressed against Ray’s clothes. Ray smiled against his ear. 

“Shh, I’ve got you,” he soothed.

Michael relaxed a bit, snuggling into Ray’s shoulder. He was tired and it was okay to sleep now. Ray had him. Ray would take care of him. 


	21. Chapter 21

“So where are they?” Jack prompted Gavin, “You said you figured it out.”

“Oh, right!” Gavin grunted, shaking himself, “I think they’re where Geoff and his alternate got held when they were kidnapped.”

Jack frowned, considering it. Seemed a bit risky to her, but maybe that was the point. _They’d go somewhere we wouldn’t expect._ And Mogar had been with the rescue party, so surely he knew the way. 

“Alright, I’ll check it out,” she muttered.

She was running out of people though. Did she have any spare b team members to take as backup? Maybe if she took the team watching Vagabond and Rimmy. If the hospital was protected, then they didn’t necessarily need to keep tabs on them _that_ closely. And it would hopefully be for a short mission anyway. Show up, take down the three alternates, and get Michael to the hospital. Mogar and Gold were injured too, shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Still, she wished so had someone on main crew to back her up. She glanced at Jeremy who was staring into space, fingers playing idly with the edges of his bandages. He’d be the best candidate. Gavin and Geoff were both still struggling between pain and pain drugs and Ryan...  


But as Jack watched Jeremy’s wide, unseeing stare, she knew he really wasn’t prepared for this either. Being the best candidate was useless when you were all so fucked up. He blinked suddenly, shaking his head and some life returned to his eyes. He looked over at her and frowned.

“Should I go with you?” He offered.

“No,” Jack dismissed, “You’re still recovering. I’ve got b team.”

“But they said I’m fine,” Jeremy protested, “I can leave now.”

“No, you should stay here with the others,” Jack insisted.

“But I can help!” Jeremy argued, “I’m fine!”

“Then protect Geoff, Ry, and Gav,” Jack suggested.

Jeremy scowled at her.

“You’re giving me babysitting duty?” He grumbled.

_ Would you question the order if it was Geoff?! _

“You really think you can deal with seeing Gold again?” Jack countered a bit more viciously than she meant to.

Jeremy flinched.

“Jer, I’m sorry, that came out wrong,” Jack hastily apologized.

“Yeah, sure,” Jeremy muttered, standing up, “Seems like it came out exactly as you meant it.”

He left the room and Jack turned to follow, but stopped. She sighed. _I’m ruining everything._

“How’s Geoff?” Gavin prompted, reminding her he was in the room.

“He’s...fine,” she answered, “Talking and eating. Alive. All the important things.”

“Starting to wonder if that’s true,” Gavin murmured.

She looked over at him, concerned by his sad tone of voice. He had his legs drawn up, arms over them with his head on them. He was staring forlornly out the window.

“Maybe being alive isn’t so important,” he mumbled.

Jack felt a squeeze of pain and anxiety. 

“Things will get better, Gavin,” she assured him, “We just have to get rid of our alternates. Then life will go back to normal.”

Gavin turned his head to look at her. She almost flinched. He looked like the man he’d been when they first met. That dead expression, like he was a corpse being forced to move and talk. A puppet. Her anxiety dialed up as she recalled just how bad Gavin’s depression used to be. He’d turned into such golden sunshine that she’d forgotten.

“Don’t lie to me,” he whispered, “You want to lie to yourself, go ahead, but do not lie to me.”

He turned back away and Jack wished she knew what she was supposed to do. Well, save Michael, that was the priority. The mess of them could be addressed afterwards, when they were safe and together again. The ruins of her family could be...not fixed, but rebuilt to some degree. _Maybe._

~

Jeremy hesitated in the doorway of Geoff’s room. He thought maybe checking in with Geoff was something he could handle, but now he was worried he’d somehow fuck that up. He looked mostly peaceful, eating his hospital food. Jeremy felt like an intruder suddenly. Like he didn’t belong with his family any more.

_ “Look at you, pretty little plaything,” Gold sneered in his mind, “You’re going to be useless by the time I’m done with you. Well, I think V will have one use for you.” _

“You want some ice cream?” Geoff offered, startling Jeremy from his memory, “They brought me an extra.”

He held out of those little cups of ice cream, smiling lightly and Jeremy came over hesitantly. He took it and Geoff patted the bed.

“Come up here and tell me what’s wrong,” he coaxed.

Jeremy climbed onto the bed and stalled for time by opening his ice cream and taking a bite with the little spoon.

“Don’t stare too hard, you’ll melt it,” Geoff teased.

Jeremy smiled weakly at him.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I’m alright,” Geoff answered, obliging his obvious stalling, “Just had a small case of lung knife. No big deal and not contagious, so no worries.”

Jeremy chuckled, though it sounded almost fake coming out of him. He poked at his ice cream.

“How are _you,_ Jeremy?” Geoff questioned softly.

“I’m...” Jeremy mumbled, shoulders slumping, “Bad...really bad.”

Geoff squeezed his wrist gently.

“Well, it helps to get the poison out of you,” he suggested, “Tell me what’s eating you.”

“I just...” Jeremy grunted, struggling.

He sighed heavily, rubbing his hand over his ribs.

“Gold, he’s...” he muttered, “Scary. He had this...cold look in his eyes when he cut into me. Like he hated me, like loved hurting me, but the worst part was...He-He said I was...a toy. A plaything for him and for Vagabond to play with until they got bored...he kept t-telling me these...plans. Ideas for what they’d do to me. And the pain stopped mattering because all I could think was I’m nothing. I’m worthless. Useless. And I just...didn’t want to be useless.”

Geoff took his ice cream from his hand and put it on the tray. Then he opened his arms and Jeremy fell into them easily, burying his face in Geoff’s shoulder. He clutched desperately at Geoff’s gown, fighting down tears.

“And now everything hurts and I’m scared and...lonely,” he mumbled.

“I...me too,” Geoff murmured, “But we can’t be alone if we’re together, right?”

“R-Right,” Jeremy sniffled against his shoulder.

Geoff brushed his hand through Jeremy’s hair and rubbed his back.

“You...don’t have to tell me, but...” he started quietly, “Jack said you...had an incident with Vagabond. Said it was pretty bad. Do you want to talk about it?”

Jeremy instinctively touched the bandage on his face.

“He...cut me up pretty bad too,” he admitted, “It hurt a lot. And I got pretty cold. I think it bled pretty bad.”

“That’s what Jack said,” Geoff confirmed, “Was there...anything else you wanted to share about it?”

Jeremy’s fist squeezed tightly in Geoff’s gown and he turned to bury his face more fully in Geoff’s shoulder.

“No, there’s nothing else,” he lied.

“Jeremy...did he...” Geoff began carefully.

He cleared his throat.

“I only want to know because I’m concerned about your health,” he muttered, “You don’t have to tell me. Did he assault you?”

“Kinda what the whole stitches and bandages thing is about,” Jeremy grunted, confused.

“No, Jeremy, I meant sexually,” Geoff corrected quietly.

“Oh.”

Jeremy recalled vaguely that Vagabond had touched himself through his jeans while he cut Jeremy up. 

_ “God, look at you bleed,” he’d groaned, “I never get to cut Jeremy up this much. Never lets me cut his face either...Fuck, I’m getting carried away...” _

“Not really,” Jeremy muttered, “He touched himself, but not me. Not like that anyway.”

“I see he has a pattern,” Geoff snorted.

“A pattern?” Jeremy prompted.

Geoff cleared his throat.

“Uhh...he did something similar with me,” he confessed.

“Ohh, that’s the thing you were unnerved about,” Jeremy realized, rolling a bit to look at him, “Dude, why is he _that_ fucking hung?”

Geoff laughed, clutching his wound.

“I know, right?” He choked, “Like a damn horse.”

Jeremy laughed, running a tired hand over his face. _This is normal now. God, help us._

~

“Come on, baby, we gotta go,” Ray coaxed, “Up you get.”

“It’s time?” Michael mumbled as Ray helped him to his wobbly feet.

“That’s right,” Ray confirmed, “We need to hurry and get out of here.”

He helped Michael hobble up the stairs and into a much brighter...house? Michael thought it looked vaguely familiar, but was too out of it to place it. Ray guided him toward what he thought looked like a kitchen door and out into a car. He laid him in the back seat, making sure he was in the most comfortable position before getting in the driver’s seat. Michael fell asleep easily and woke up some time later to muffled shouting.

He blinked hazily and turned toward the sound. He was faced with the back of a backseat. It jarred against him as something on the other side hit it. _Someone_ actually. 

“I’m going to kill you, rabies!” Gavin’s voice screeched from behind the seat, “I’m going to carve you into pieces, you stupid lying skank!”

“What the fuck?” Michael grunted.

“You fucking pussy!” Gavin shrieked, kicking the seat again, “You knew you couldn’t fight me, you piece of shit whore! I’m going to castrate you and feed you your own balls! Then I’m going to make you watch me fuck him, because he will never ever, _ever_ fuck you!”

The car swerved off the road and slammed to a halt. Michael looked around to see Ray getting out of the driver’s seat and storming around the car. He popped the trunk and there were a few sounds of fighting, clearly some fists and some boots slamming into each other and snarled curses Michael couldn’t quite catch. The fighting sounds were cut off by a loud scream from Gavin that sliced through Michael’s fog enough that he suddenly realized Ray and Gavin were fighting each other. 

Then the sounds of one person landing several blows on the other came through the seat, each hit landing with a word.

“Shut! The! Fuck! Up! You! Stupid! Whore!” Ray growled.

Michael sluggishly recalled the situation. Alternates. So it must be Gold in the trunk. It did make sense now what he was saying earlier. Gavin wouldn’t say those things. But...Ray wouldn’t say those things either. Would he? Maybe Gold had been talking shit for awhile and Michael only just now woke up to hear it? He was losing clarity fast, already settling back into his haze.

The door at his feet opened and Ray in.

“You alright?” He huffed, “Sorry about that.”

“‘M fine,” Michael mumbled, “Where we going?”

Ray climbed in to sit on the edge of the seat beside him. Michael shifted to give him room. Ray caressed his cheek.

“Going some place safe,” he assured him gently.

“Mmkay,” Michael murmured, yawning.

“Still tired, baby?” Ray mused, smiling gently.

“Mmhm.”

“Go back to sleep then,” Ray instructed, “I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Mmkay.”

Michael started drifting as Ray brushed his hand through his hair.

“So pretty,” he whispered, “You make waiting so hard, baby.”

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of Michael’s mouth. Michael smiled faintly as he fell asleep. _Ray’s got me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just keeps getting worse.
> 
> Also, the two new stories (starting today for patron saints, tomorrow for here) are one full of betrayal and angst and one full of slimes fucking Jeremy. Sooo. Yay.


	22. Chapter 22

Jack stared at the puddle of blood on the floor for awhile, too filled with fear to really grasp the situation. She had followed the bloody footprints backwards from a set of tire tracks outside. They lead in the a kitchen door, through the house, down the stairs, and across the basement to the puddle. The main footprints were made by a pair of bare feet, but there was a third track, a partial shoe print that had walked closely beside the bare feet.

Jack swallowed the sick feeling in her throat and crouched down. The shoe tread was a smooth, even diamond grid pattern. She’d seen the bottoms of Ray’s shoes where he’d propped them on tables enough to know these were the treads of a pair of Vans. Jack stood back up and put her foot beside one of the bare footprints, comparing. If she had to guess Gavin or Michael, she’d guess Michael. And since Mogar was upstairs, feet not bloody, these were actually Michael’s footprints. 

BrownMan had helped a very bloody Michael stand up and walk across the basement, up the stairs, through the house, and out the door into a car where he drove away with him. Since the only person left in the house was Mogar, she could assume BrownMan had taken Gold as well, but there was no evidence of a struggle, so perhaps they had both hurried off with Michael. But why leave Mogar behind?

“Ma’am, he’s waking up!” Someone shouted down the stairs. 

_Great timing._ Jack jogged up the stairs and down the hall to the room where Mogar had been bound and gagged. He was snarling against the tape wrapped around his head over his mouth, glaring at the b team members who had tasers pointed at him. Jack crouched down and rip the tape off. He grunted and grumbled as it pulled his skin and his hair, but held still to allow it.

“Now what the hell do you fucking assholes want?” He grumbled once he was free of the duct tape, “Didn’t you already win?? Just fuck off.”

Jack frowned at him.

“Win?” She grunted, “What do you mean?”

“Your slut got me and Gav, you fucking won,” Mogar sneered, “Did you come to fucking gloat? Because I don’t know any information you could possibly fucking want from me.”

“Our slut?” Jack muttered, “You mean Michael?”

Mogar squinted at her in confusion and they both seemed to slowly realize what was happening.

“BrownMan, he told you he was ours,” Jack reasoned.

“But he’s actually ours,” Mogar guessed.

His jaw clenched and he glared.

“That little fucking whore,” he growled, “He ran off with Gavin and fake me, didn’t he?”

“Looks like it,” Jack confirmed, “What happened?”

“Fucker said he wanted to fuck Gavin,” Mogar muttered, “Seemed like he was in love with your Gavin and wanted mine as second best. They went off to fuck, next thing I know he’s smashing me over the head, tying me up.”

Jack’s chest was squeezing painfully. 

“Did he say anything about where he’s taking them? Or why even?” She pressed, trying to keep the anxiety from her voice.

“Not really,” Mogar grumbled, “He was bitching about something being too soon as I started to pass out though. He said he needed more vulnerability?”

“Vulnerability?” Jack grunted, “What the fuck does that mean?”

“I don’t fucking know!” Mogar snapped, “My fucking brain is leaking out of my skull, how the fuck would I know??”

Jack sighed, standing back up.

“Get him secured in the facility,” she ordered as she got her phone out.

They all nodded and began to get him to his feet while she moved off toward the kitchen, calling Trevor.

“Yes, ma’am?” He greeted.

“How far out are you?” She asked as she made her way to the tire tracks.

“We should have BrownMan at base within the hour,” he answered.

“Great, put him on, would you?” She requested.

She followed the tire tracks toward the road as the phone was shuffled around.

“Hey, how’s it goin’?” Ray rasped.

“How’s it goin’ with you, buddy?” She returned, noting the tracks went left, deeper into the desert.

“‘M alright,” he assured her, “Nothing broken. Mostly just bruises. Guy caught me off guard. What’s going on?”

Jack sighed heavily.

“So...your alternate made off with Gavin’s alternate and Michael,” she explained, “For some fucking reason.”

Ray was quiet a moment and Jack frowned at that.

“Ray, you good?” She prompted.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” he muttered, “Where’s he going?”

“Kinda hoping you might know,” Jack admitted, “It looks like he went deeper into the desert instead of back toward the city. Could be headed into Venturas, ‘Ro, or your even place from this direction. You have any ideas?”

“He’s throwing you off,” Ray answered immediately, “He’s headed back for LS.”

“You’re sure?” Jack pressed.

“I’m sure,” Ray assured her, “I talked to the guy, he’s practically exactly like me just more aggressive.”

“Won’t he suspect you’ll know that he’s headed back though?” Jack pointed out.

“He needs to hit LS first,” Ray dismissed.

“Why?” Jack wondered.

“Just trust me on this,” Ray insisted, “He needs to hit LS first before he disappears. He’ll be dodging every point of Gold’s network though. You may have to track him down the old fashioned way.”

“V’s down for the count though,” Jack grumbled, “I’m not sure we can catch him fast enough without the best tracker on it.”

“Doesn’t V have an alternate too?” Ray suggested.

“No! Unacceptable!” Trevor shouted suddenly in the background, “We can _not_ work with him!”

“I mean, normally I’d agree,” Jack muttered, “But I have no idea what he’s planning with Michael. Fuck, Michael could be dead already.”

Her heart hurt at the idea.

“He’s not,” Ray dismissed firmly, “But you do need to find him before he leaves town again. You have to work with Vagabond’s alternate. He’ll probably know how to find him anyway if they’re anything like me and Vagabond.”

“No, this is not okay!” Trevor argued, “Vagabond’s alternate cannot be allowed near any of you again.”

“Again?” Ray grunted, “Jesus, I need to catch up. Anyway, I’m telling you, you have to work with him. You have to get Michael back before he leaves town, I’m serious.”

Jack frowned. _Why’s he so insistent?_ Maybe because he didn’t know what Vagabond had done. Jack felt queasy, guts squeezing as she thought of Michael battered and bloody, Jeremy covered in bandages, and Ryan broken on the floor. She didn’t want to be near the man that had hurt so much of her family. She didn’t want to have to beg him for help or even think about what he might demand in return. 

“Jack, please trust me,” Ray whispered, voice weak, “You have to get my alternate before he leaves town.”

Jack was shocked. He sounded more upset than she had ever heard him before. Maybe more upset than all the times he had been combined. His voice was desperate. He was pleading, begging her to listen to him, to understand how serious this was. Jack didn’t know what, but it was obvious Ray knew something she didn’t. Something about his alternate. 

“Okay, I trust you,” she agreed, “I’ll get a hold of Vagabond.”

“Thank you,” Ray breathed, sounding relieved, “Thank you.”

They said goodbye and Jack started back toward LS. _Please do not request Jeremy in exchange,_ she prayed with all her heart. She called in to see if anyone could get eyes on Vagabond and Rimmy quickly since she’d pulled off the b team members watching them. Apparently their vehicle was still at the hotel they’d hunkered down in and the trackers placed on them were inside the room. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sped off toward them.

~  


“Tick, tock, tick, tock.”

Gavin couldn’t muster up an ounce of fear as Vagabond walked toward him, twirling a knife around his finger.

“Tick, tock, tick, tock.”

He stopped by Gavin’s bed, head tilting.

“Time’s up, Golden Boy,” he whispered.

“The cycle of revenge is not a pretty picture,” Gavin muttered for some reason.

Vagabond grinned as he leaned down over him.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, love,” he mocked in a British accent, “Our Gold told me that.”

He sat on Gavin’s bed, picking up Gavin’s limp right hand.

“Look at you, you’re depressed,” he mused as he trailed the knife over Gavin’s index finger, “Got broken down, huh? Not sure what the point of living is any more? Tired of losing over and over again? Tired of ghosts and fear? Thought you’d just shut down?”

“Sure,” Gavin mumbled, “Whatever you want.”

Vagabond’s eyes flicked back up to Gavin’s and he smiled darkly.

“That won’t do, love,” he murmured, “I need you to feel this. So shall I wake you up?”

He shifted and straddled Gavin’s lap. He took Gavin’s hands and handcuffed them together. Gavin watched him do this with disinterest. Vagabond pressed his free hand over Gavin’s throat. He didn’t choke him, more like he was just holding him there.

“Let’s review, shall we?” He whispered, the knife trailing up Gavin’s chest, “I broke my alternate up pretty badly after Jeremy tased him into cardiac arrest. Which he probably won’t recover from and if he does it will take some time. Before that I cut up Jeremy’s alternate and sliced some pretty letters into his face. Those scars will always be there.”

Gavin felt a twinge of anger, but he couldn’t work up the care to fight Vagabond over it. The knife tapped against Vagabond’s chin.

“Now what was it I did before that?” He hummed thoughtfully, “Oh, I remember!”

The blade touched Gavin’s cheek, caressing him gently as Vagabond grinned widely.

“I beat that little wolf pup to a bloody pulp,” he recalled brightly.

Gavin went cold, hands suddenly clawing toward Vagabond’s throat. _He must be punished._ Vagabond pinned his wrists to the bed above his head by the chain of the handcuffs and his leg pressed to Gavin’s wound. Gavin choked out a cry that was stifled by a knife handle shoving between his teeth and a gloved hand holding it there by covering his mouth.

“There you are, nice and awake,” Vagabond cooed, “There’s that fire. Good boy.”

Gavin snarled at him, struggling against him. Vagabond grinned at him as he squeezed his legs together. Gavin cried out again, spasming as pain shot through him from where Vagabond was squeezing his wound. He whimpered, tears leaking from his eyes as he stilled. 

“Now then, on to business,” Vagabond chirped, “Tell me which of your fingers pulled the trigger.”

He pulled the knife from Gavin’s mouth and pressed it to his throat. 

“Wh-What?” Gavin grunted.

“Which of your fingers pulled the trigger?” Vagabond growled impatiently, pressing the knife hard against Gavin’s throat, “You damaged my property, you little bitch. So tell me which finger pulled the trigger or I take them all.”

Gavin choked in alarm. _Not my fingers!_

“Tick, tock, tick, tock,” Vagabond warned.

“L-Left, left index!” Gavin stammered, “P-Please!”

“Good boy,” Vagabond purred, “I figured a little hacker would be desperate to keep his fingers.”

He pulled a handkerchief from his jacket and jammed it into Gavin’s mouth.

“Now, do try to be quiet, love,” he instructed, “I’d hate to have to punish you for being too noisy.”

He yanked Gavin’s shaking hands down in front of him and pressed the knife to Gavin’s left index finger.

“That was a lie, by the way,” he mused, looking back up at Gavin, “I would love to punish you.”

The knife sliced into Gavin’s finger and Gavin let out a muffled cry around the handkerchief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooooo boi


	23. Chapter 23

Jack was surprised when Rimmy opened the hotel room door with a blank look on his face. _Isn’t he injured? Shouldn’t he be resting?_

“We’re being good boys and sitting still,” he muttered, “What more do you want?”

“I need to speak with Vagabond,” Jack answered.

“Why?” Rimmy grunted, narrowing his eyes at her.

“I need his help,” Jack explained, “Tracking down BrownMan.”

Something flickered across Rimmy’s face. Some negative emotion that was gone before Jack could place it. 

“Why the hell would we help you?” He sneered, “Your golden slut shot me, don’t you remember?”

“You started that fight,” Jack pointed out coolly, crossing her arms, “And you should help because we need to get everyone back where they belong. Well, everyone left alive still.”

“We’re not going to-“ Rimmy started then stopped.

The emotion came back and stayed so Jack could see it: worry.

“BrownMan, you said,” he murmured carefully, “Did you call him by his code name because he’s ours or because you don’t know I know his real name?”

“Bit of both,” Jack answered, “He’s yours.”

Now the worry was full scale anxiety and Rimmy’s eyes looked past her, darting around as though looking for the telltale glint, the reflection of light on a rifle scope. He closed the door a bit, hiding behind it.

“Did you bring him here??” He demanded, “Is he hunting you??”

“No, he’s running from us,” Jack explained, worried and confused, “Isn’t he your friend?”

“Ha!” Rimmy barked out the sarcastic laugh, “As if!”

“You all had a falling out?” Jack guessed.

“Falling out is an understatement,” Rimmy snorted, “The guy tried to poison all of us and kidnapped Mogar. And Gold accidentally, because he got in the way.”

“Mogar didn’t mention this,” Jack grumbled.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t,” Rimmy scoffed, “The experience was traumatic for him. He repressed it. I’m telling you, if Ray’s gotten away with your Mogar, he’s fucked. You think we’re crazy, you haven’t seen shit. That guy is a total fucking psycho.”

Jack’s stomach twisted. _A total fucking psycho who has a member of my family._

“I need Vagabond’s help,” she repeated, “He’s the best tracker in the city with a properly working heart.”

“And he can find Ray better than anyone else could,” Rimmy agreed, “But he’s not going to help you.”

“Surely we can put aside all the other bullshit,” Jack argued, “Don’t you want to go home?”

“I would love to,” Rimmy muttered bitterly, “But he won’t help you.”

“Why?” Jack pressed, frowning at him.

“The thing about Ryan is, he won’t forgive anyone who hurts me,” Rimmy answered, “It’s actually a bit annoying sometimes, but that’s just how he is about his property being damaged by someone other than him.”

_ Property. Ew.  _

“But I didn’t hurt you nor did Michael,” Jack pointed out, “And this isn’t just helping us, it’s also for your benefit.”

“Ryan’s fucking stupid, okay?” Rimmy grumbled, “He’s not going to see it that way. Ryan is a light switch. Once he’s decided how he feels: flick, he’s on and that’s that. Only _he_ could ever flip him back off. And half the time he convinces everyone else that he’s right, just because he’s so damn devoted to how he feels. I’m telling you, it’s not going to happen.”

Jack felt desperation rise in her guts. 

“Surely we can offer him something in return for helping?” She offered.

“Are you dangling your Jeremy like a prize right now?” Rimmy snorted.

“No, I would never offer Jeremy as a fucking sacrifice!” Jack snapped, “I’m more offering some other favor. Proper medical attention, perhaps?”

She gestured at the bandages on his side.

“You want us to thank you for fixing a problem _you_ created?” Rimmy scoffed.

“You started that fight!” Jack insisted, feeling herself reaching her breaking point, “You could’ve gone home, but no, you all just had to keep on fighting!”

“Ryan was never going to go home and leave a second me behind,” Rimmy sneered, “You think he carved into his face with the intention of letting him die or leaving him behind? You don’t carve into someone’s face unless you want them to remember it forever. So from now on every time that pathetic little slut looks in the mirror, he’ll remember that all he is now is a little toy for Ryan to play with and use as he pleases.”

_ Whack! _

Rimmy grunted as he stumbled back into the room from Jack’s left hook. She shoved the door open to follow him.

“I am so fucking sick of all of you,” she snarled as she advanced on him, “You treating my family like we’re all just here for your amusement. Treating us like we’re not going to fucking destroy you for what you’ve done. I have news for you, we’re not going to take it laying down like you do.”

She gripped his shirt as she got in range, yanking him closer. His eyes widened at her like he was surprised by her aggression.

“This is _our_ universe,” she growled in his face, _“You_ are not welcome, so die or go home, because you can’t stay here.”

_ Whack! _

He went limp as she socked him again and she let go, dropping him to the floor. She huffed in a few calming breaths, trying to recall what she was doing. _Vagabond. Michael. Right._ She felt her stomach drop. Shouldn’t he have come to Rimmy’s rescue? She looked around in alarm, eyes widening as she tried to fight down sudden panic. _Jeremy._ She turned and sprinted through the still open door. 

~

Jeremy froze, eyes widening as he saw Vagabond sitting on Gavin’s bed. Gavin had texted him, asking him to come to his room, but he hadn’t actually, had he? He was unmoving on the bed with Vagabond leaning over him. 

“Wh-What did you do t-to him??” Jeremy demanded, voice weaker and higher pitched than he was proud of.

Vagabond put a finger to his lips.

“Shh,” he whispered, “You wouldn’t want to wake him.”

A silver glint over Gavin’s throat seemed to be plenty of threat to keep Jeremy quiet. Vagabond tilted his head at Gavin.

“I wonder how similar they really are,” he murmured, “How similar we all are. This whole situation is quite fascinating, really.”

His hand brushed through Gavin’s hair and caressed his cheek gently. Jeremy’s fists shook with how bad he wanted to scream and hurl Vagabond away from Gavin. But with a knife to Gavin’s throat, he could do nothing but watch Vagabond untie the top tie of his gown where it was at the back of his neck.

“Don’t!” Jeremy hissed as he tugged the gown down off Gavin’s shoulders.

Vagabond looked over at him finally.

“Exactly what is it you think I intend to do?” He wondered. 

“I-I don’t know,” Jeremy admitted tearfully, “I-I don’t know what you want, wh-what you’re going to do, or who y-you are. I c-can never be sure of what you’ll do, because I don’t-I don’t know you!”

Vagabond hummed, looking back down to Gavin. He pulled the gown back over his shoulders which Jeremy noticed suddenly were covered in burn scars and stood. Jeremy’s insides were icy with fear as Vagabond slowly moved toward him. Each step seemed to chill his blood more and more until he was in front of him. His body was screaming at him to move, but he couldn’t. 

He was freezing, bleeding out in a hospital bed, alone again as those blue eyes stared down at him with...warmth. Affection. Care. Like the carving of his skin was a show of devotion...of love. Vagabond put his fingers under Jeremy’s chin, tilting his head back so he was made to look up at him.

“You are right, aren’t you?” He murmured, “You’re not my Jeremy and I’m not your Ryan.”

He brushed his fingers over Jeremy’s bandage.

“That was the reason for these pretty cuts after all,” he continued, “To ensure I never mistook you for mine, for even a moment.”

He gripped the bandage and suddenly ripped it off Jeremy’s face. Jeremy grunted, jerking in pained surprise. Vagabond cupped his jaw and brushed his thumb under the stitched up letters. His eyes traced over them before they met Jeremy’s. Jeremy’s throat was tight and dry at the affectionate look in those cool blues.

“However, you are still, at your core, the man that I love,” Ryan whispered, “And try as I might, I cannot find myself willing to abandon you.”

Jeremy’s heart pounded in his chest as Ryan tilted his head and leaned down. Their lips pressed together and Jeremy melted in his arms. Then he exploded, pressing urgently against Ryan, gripping at his jacket to pull him closer. Ryan pushed back just as urgently and Jeremy stumbled back, then was pushed up against the nearest wall. 

One of Ryan’s hands groped at his ass and the other ran up his back as their lips mouthed and their bodies writhed against each other. Jeremy couldn’t think or breathe anything but Ryan as the man yanked open his jeans and actually ripped them in his haste to get them down past his ass. Then he suddenly froze and so did Jeremy as someone entered the room.

_ Click. _

The sound of a safety flicking off practically echoed in the quiet stillness of the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! The Cliffhanger song from the Between the Lions show always plays in my head when I do cliffhangers.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: nonconsensual drug use

“Let. Go. Of. Him.” Ryan growled breathlessly.

His chest was screaming at him, but the gun was steady where it was pointed at Vagabond’s head. Vagabond put his hands up, backing off a step. 

“R-Ryan, I-“ Jeremy stammered.

“Pull your pants up,” Ryan ordered.

Jeremy scrambled to do so while Ryan kept his eyes on Vagabond. 

“R-Ryan, I-“ Jeremy started again.

“Come here,” Ryan interrupted.

Jeremy scurried to his side and Ryan pushed him around behind him.

“What did you do to Gavin?” He asked Vagabond once Jeremy was firmly behind him.

“I cut off the finger that pulled the trigger on my property,” Vagabond sneered, “And destroyed it. Couldn’t have you reattaching it after all.”

“Jeremy, get the staff,” Ryan muttered, “You, sit.”

He gestured Vagabond into a chair while Jeremy hurried off. Vagabond sat, watching him with a cool, unworried look. As though he didn’t think Ryan would pull the trigger. He was mistaken if that was the case. Ryan was tired. Exhausted. Fed up. A man at the end of his rope, at the edge of the cliff. It would truly take very little for him to fly the rest of the way off the handle. 

He was pulsing with pain, originating most heavily from his heart, but his broken ribs were pretty bad too. His body was as exhausted as his mind. He was unsteady and weak. It wouldn’t have taken a lot for him to pass out again either. 

“What’s wrong, Haywood, don’t like others playing with your toy?” Vagabond sneered.

“Jeremy isn’t a toy, asshole,” Ryan muttered, “He’s a human being you’ve gotten away with hurting for far too long.”

“That was consensual,” Vagabond snorted, “He actually escalated it himself.”

“Just shut the fuck up for once,” Ryan grumbled, “I’m really not in the mood for your bullshit.”

Jack and Jeremy returned almost at the same time and Ryan found a chair in the corner to drop into. Jack explained the situation. Ray had an alternate who had kidnapped Michael, they needed the best tracker in the state, but their first choice didn’t have a properly functioning heart. 

“It’s not happening,” Vagabond dismissed very firmly, “First of all, I’m not going to help you assholes. Second, I’m not going to become that little psycho’s target. Third, there’s no reason for me to get involved. I don’t care about Mogar or Gold and I don’t plan to go home.”

“We’ll pay you to do the job,” Jack offered.

“I don’t want your money,” Vagabond sneered.

“Then what do you want?” Jack grumbled.

“Nothing _you_ can give me,” Vagabonf snorted.

“But something _I_ could, right?” Jeremy spoke up quietly.

“No!” Ryan snapped, abruptly standing, “That is not acceptable!”

His heart throbbed in his chest and he clutched at his shirt, trying to breathe properly.

“You’re not a prize or a reward,” Jack agreed.

Jeremy stepped up in front of Vagabond, ignoring them.

“Tell me what you want in return for saving my friend,” he murmured.

Vagabond smirked at him and beckoned him closer to speak in his ear. Ryan’s heart was pounding, pain pulsing in his chest as Jeremy bent his head to listen. Vagabond whispered something only Jeremy could hear and Jeremy paled. His eyes squeezed closed and he swallowed before he leaned back.

“Alright,” he murmured, “I agree. Once we’ve got them back safe and intact, I will do it.”

He held out his hand. Ryan stared in disbelieving horror. _What the hell did he just agree to??_

“One other condition,” Vagabond added, “You come with me to track him down.”

“What, no!” Jack spoke up, “I’m not leaving you two alone!”

“I agree to the condition,” Jeremy murmured.

_ Jeremy, what are you doing?!  _

“Jeremy, this is-!” Jack started.

“My decision,” Jeremy interrupted.

Vagabond took his hand and shook it, then he stood and put his hand on Jeremy’s lower back to guide him from the room.

“Wait, I’ll go!” Ryan blurted, “Don’t-you can’t just-“

He clutched his chest again as breathing became too difficult. 

“It’s okay, Ryan,” Jeremy assured him, “I’ll be back before you know it.”

He smiled weakly at Ryan before turning to continue out the door. Ryan stepped forward, reaching for him. A terrible, horrible, awful dread seized his guts and he got the distinct feeling if he let Jeremy leave, he’d never see him again. 

“Jeremy, don’t,” he rasped, stumbling forward, “You can’t. I need...”

His legs gave out and he dropped to his hands and knees, struggling to breathe and think properly as Jeremy disappeared around the corner. Jack dropped down beside him, frantically asking if he was alright, but Ryan couldn’t respond. 

_ Open your eyes, Haywood, before I take what you so desperately desire. _

Ryan crawled no more than two feet forward before he collapsed. _Jeremy, please, don’t leave me._

~

“You let him do, what?!” Geoff demanded, struggling to get upright, “How could you do that?!”

“I...he said it was his choice,” Jack mumbled, “And Michael...I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Well, not fucking _that!”_ Geoff snapped as he stood, “We have to go after him!”

“It’s not like I just let him go!” Jack huffed, “B team is following them! Jesus, I’m not _that_ much of a fucking dumbass!”

“Could’ve fucking fooled me!” Geoff sneered as he hobbled to where his clothes were, “I cannot believe you allowed this!”

“I didn’t allow it!” Jack protested.

“You did!” Geoff argued, pausing in getting dressed to glare at her, “You just stood there and watched him go! I bet Ryan tried to stop him!”

Jack’s twisted up face only got worse and her head dropped. Even with the twinge of guilt he felt for that expression, he was still too angry to just let it go. 

“I’m not...cut out for leadership,” she muttered, “But I’m doing the best I can.”

“Well, don’t worry any more,” Geoff snorted as he continued putting his clothes back on, “I’ll handle this now.”

“Right.”

_What an absolute mess. This is what happens when you let yourself get stabbed: everything goes to shit._

“Geoff, I’m sorry,” Jack whispered, voice weak, “I never meant...I thought...I’m sorry.”

“For getting me stabbed or for breaking my heart?” Geoff countered coldly, not looking at her.

“I just wanted to do right by you,” she murmured, “I wanted to find a way to give you what you wanted. I...I was wrong.”

“Yes, you were,” Geoff muttered, gripping the dresser in front of him, “I had what I really wanted, Jack, I had my family. So was this really about me or was it about you?”

He sighed, standing up straight, ignoring the flare up of pain and straightening his shirt.

“Please do not pretend you really did this for me,” he spoke quietly, _“You_ were the unhappy one, Jack.”

He turned to leave the room, not looking at her, because he knew if he looked, he would cry and probably forgive her. He wasn’t ready for that yet. He needed to let this feeling of anger and sadness ride out, needed to let it run its course, so that when he was ready, he could fully move on.

~

Michael hissed as he woke up to someone bandaging him up. He blinked hazily at Ray who was focused on covering the cuts on his torso with gauze. 

“What’s goin’ on?” Michael rasped, “Why’s everything blurry?”

“You lost a lot of blood,” Ray muttered, “Also the pain medicine should start working any minute now.”

Michael’s burning cuts eased and he hummed as he started floating. Ray finished bandaging while Michael weakly held onto his hoodie so he wouldn’t float away. 

“I...hope you know, I’m not going to hurt you,” Ray murmured, “I guess saying it doesn’t matter, you won’t remember, but I’m not like that, you know? I’m a gentleman.”

“Wha?” Michael mumbled.

Ray sighed.

“I don’t want you to think I’d do anything while you’re drugged or sleeping,” he explained, “Everyone thinks I’m so crazy and cruel, but I don’t want to hurt you, Michael. I just want you to see, we’re soul mates.”

_Soul mates?_ Ray leaned down and kissed the corner of Michael’s mouth.

“You’ll see,” he whispered, running his hand through Michael’s hair, “You’ll see we’re meant to be. The other you, he was too blind, but you will see it, I know you will.”

Michael didn’t understand, probably because his brain wasn’t in his head any more. Ray’s lips trailed across his jaw to his ear.

“It is so tempting,” he breathed, “But I promise you, I won’t do anything until you’re ready.”

Michael mumbled an incoherent non-word and Ray chuckled.

“You’re pretty cute like this,” he teased, “Just go back to sleep, baby.”

Michael tried to say okay, but he wasn’t sure it came out. Ray got out of the backseat and into the driver’s seat. Michael frowned, a clear thought breaking through the haze. _When did Ray learn to drive?_ It was gone before he could focus on answering it and he giggled as it floated off away from him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more time goes on, the worse this gets.
> 
> Side note: All of my RTAH fics containing Ryan Haywood characters are now tagged as Original Work in an effort to remove them from the fandom which clearly has no room for them. As long as the character I'm using is based off of any character portrayed by Ryan Haywood, I will continue to use the name. This is for clarity's sake, in an effort to be sure a person knows before beginning to read, that the character will resemble the rl Ryan Haywood in some way.


	25. Chapter 25

Jeremy dismounted Vagabond’s bike, glancing around as he tried to figure out where they were. Behind some building. Vagabond dismounted and went to the back door, trying to open it. When he found it locked, he snapped his fingers. 

“Jeremy, door,” he ordered.

Jeremy went to his side, glaring at him as he did so. He crouched down and started picking the lock.

“I’m not your boyfriend, you know,” he grumbled.

“He’s not my boyfriend either,” Vagabond scoffed.

“Husband?” Jeremy tried instead.

“Don’t make me vomit,” Vagabond snorted.

“You really just call him your property?” Jeremy grunted.

“I call him my darlin’ when I want to tone it down,” Vagabond offered, “Why do you care?”

_ Darlin’. _

“I don’t,” Jeremy murmured, “Just chatter when I pick. Actually, Ryan usually doesn’t reply.”

_ Click. _

He stood as the door unlocked and stepped aside.

“Good boy,” Vagabond muttered offhandedly as he patted Jeremy’s head and opened the door.

Jeremy blushed, cursed himself for it, and followed Vagabond through the door. He said it so casually, dropped it like it was nothing. Like it was something he said so often that it just came fluidly now. Jeremy wondered if Ryan had ever been tempted to say it. All those times he’d patted Jeremy’s head absently, like he didn’t realize he was doing it, had he also considered praising Jeremy? 

Jeremy shook his head, focusing on where they were and what they were doing. He looked around, processing that they were in some sort of office. Vagabond went through an open door and Jeremy followed, peeking around his shoulder. Cabinets with glass doors filled with medicine and other medical supplies lined the walls, seeming to indicate this was some medical supply room. 

One of the cabinets was open and Vagabond went to it. He shook his head as he picked up a glass vial. Then he clicked his tongue, placing it back where it belonged. He almost sounded disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” Jeremy wondered.

“Ray has gotten sloppy in his haste,” Vagabond murmured as he headed back for the door, “He must be rather desperate now.”

“Sloppy, that’s good, right?” Jeremy reasoned, hurrying after him, “Doesn’t that mean he’ll be easier to catch?”

“Sloppy, but _desperate,”_ Vagabond reminded him, “And a desperate Ray is a very dangerous thing.”

Was it? Jeremy wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Ray desperate before. Honestly, Ray looked like he never gave enough of a fuck about anything to stand up for it, let alone get desperate over it. What could make Ray so desperate?

~

Geoff glanced at Ray in the passenger seat as he pulled out to follow Vagabond and Jeremy. He was staring out the windshield, eyes wide in the same unseeing stare he’d had since he’d gotten into Geoff’s car. He was visibly upset, a sight almost as rare Ryan being visibly any emotion. 

“Ray, what’s eating you?” Geoff finally asked, worry superseding his usual hesitance.

Ray blinked rapidly and shook his head like he was waking up for the first time in hours. He glanced at Geoff then stared down at his hands in his lap.

“I’m in love with Michael,” he confessed, “I have been since...the beginning, I guess.”

Geoff’s eyebrows went up. 

“Really?” He grunted, “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“No shit,” Ray snorted, looking back through the windshield, “Wouldn’t be a very good secret if everyone knew.”

“So you’re worried about him,” Geoff guessed.

“More like I don’t trust myself with him,” Ray corrected, “I know some of the thoughts I’ve had about him. And if I thought it, my alternate must be acting on it.”

“I see,” Geoff murmured, “Yes, I can see why that would be upsetting to think about. I think we all have thoughts we prefer to keep as thoughts. Unlike our alternates.”

Ray snorted, shaking his head.

“It really does seem like our darkest parts are reflected in them,” he muttered.

“I’m sure we’ll get Michael before your alternate fucks him up too badly,” Geoff assured him.

“Assuming he’s not already fucked him up or gotten away,” Ray pointed out.

“What’s the deal with him getting out of town?” Geoff wondered, “Why are you so insistent that we need to get him before he leaves town?”

Ray tapped his fingers on the door, quiet a moment.

“Because I know what I would do if I had kidnapped Michael,” he finally answered, “I know the second I got out of your influence, out of your territory, I’d begin working on breaking down Michael’s brain and rebuilding it to be what I want it to be.”

Geoff was speechless. _How the hell am I supposed to respond to that??_

“I’d start with convincing him you’re all dead,” Ray added, “Isolated with only one friendly face, he’d have to see things my way.”

_Jesus fucking Christ._

“Then he wants to get him out of here before Michael sees we’re alive,” Geoff guessed.

“Yes, that would be ideal for him,” Ray confirmed.

“So if he does convince Michael we’re all dead,” Geoff reasoned, “Michael will probably think we’re our alternates if we do catch up.”

“Exactly,” Ray agreed, “And I dunno, if my alternate is as bad as he sounds, Michael might always doubt our identities afterward.”

“I’m sure it will always be something in the back of all of our minds now,” Geoff commented.

“They’ve apparently tried to trick you enough to warrant paranoia,” Ray muttered.

“Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing how many times they’ve succeeded,” Geoff grumbled.

“Yeah, you’re all fucking Idiots,” Ray snorted.

“Yeah, yeah we are,” Geoff agreed, sighing.

They were quiet a moment as they watched Vagabond riding ahead of them. Then quite suddenly the bike sped up and took a sharp turn. Geoff scowled, hurrying to catch up and checking that Trevor was still following behind him. Vagabond was too fast though and his bike easily took turns Geoff struggled to follow. Geoff lost him, driving through the streets anxiously as cold anxiety squeezed inside him. _This is bad fucking news. I knew we shouldn’t trust this cunt!_

~

Jack winced as she looked at her ringing phone. Geoff’s name almost seemed to mock her, reminding her of her failures. She didn’t want to answer, but she did.

“Geoff?” She greeted.

“We need Gavin up and in his network,” Geoff said immediately, “Vagabond’s just slipped us over on Gardner. I can’t find him.”

Jack felt cold. _Jeremy. God, what have I done??_ She quickly roused Gavin and got him his tablet. She put Geoff on speakerphone and paced beside Gavin’s bed as she waited for Gavin to find Vagabond and Jeremy. _It’s already been a significant amount of time, is BrownMan even still in town?_ Maybe Vagabond knew he wasn’t in town, maybe he’d done this just to kidnap Jeremy. _Oh god, oh god!_

“Oh dear,” Gavin spoke up, “I don’t think this is good news.”

Jack stopped, turning to him in alarm.

“What’s not good news??” Geoff demanded from the phone.

“Vagabond...there’s two pings for Vagabond,” Gavin explained, “One is Ry’s bike down at the docks and one is Vagabond and Jeremy headed that way.”

_Ryan, you dumb fucking bastard, your heart isn’t functioning right!_ Jack felt desperation and panic rising in her. She hadn’t thought to make b team keep Ryan in, only to keep the others out. _Everything is falling down around my ears and can I really blame anyone more than myself?_

“Th-The address?” She prompted shakily.

Gavin relayed it and Jack picked up her phone.

“If you get there first, don’t go in without backup,” Geoff grunted.

“Yes, sir,” Jack sneered as she went for the door.

“Don’t fucking sass me right now,” Geoff grumbled, “This situation is already fucked, I don’t need any more bullshit.”

Jack’s heart squeezed.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, “I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah.”

Geoff hung up and Jack made sure the b team members in the hospital were guarding Gavin’s door before hurrying from the building. _Ryan, Jeremy, and Michael, all in trouble._ She puffed out a shaky breath as she got in her car. _What a nightmare._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think there’s a point at which this gets any better.


	26. Chapter 26

Ryan crouched behind a shipping crate, eyes darting around for signs of Ray. Tire tracks. He crept forward, staying low as he followed them to a corner. He looked around the corner. More tire tracks ahead. He squinted at them. Would Ray really leave such an obvious trail? 

He back-tracked, looking closer at the tire tracks. They were dug deep in the gravel, like someone had made special effort to make it noticeable. They were a decoy. He glanced around and started looking through the containers, searching for more tracks or evidence in the opposite direction of the decoy.

“Starting to think this is a one man team,” Rimmy grumbled.

Ryan jumped and his chest pulsed pain. _Really, startling me is a serious health risk now._

“You called me out,” he pointed out, still looking for clues, “You should have brought your boyfriend if you don’t like how I operate.”

“Not my boyfriend,” Rimmy scoffed.

_Wow, I really don’t care,_ Ryan considered saying, but caught sight of something to distract him from the thought.

~

“Wakey, wakey, baby,” Ray called softly.

A hand gently patted Michael’s face and he groggily blinked his eyes open to Ray hovering over him.

“Hey, I need you to get up for a bit, baby,” he coaxed, “We need to move. Got a train to catch, so to speak.”

He helped Michael out of the car and Michael wobbled as he led him across gravel. He was so floaty. Dizzy. Weak. Hot. Shaky. He slumped against Ray who cursed as he struggled to hold him upright. Michael decided he was too tired and he needed to lay down. Ray cursed some more as Michael slid on the gravel and flopped down. 

“Now is really not the time!” Ray hissed, trying to tug him back to his feet, “Michael, get up!”

“Tired,” Michael mumbled, drifting off again.

_ Smack! _

Michael jolted, whimpering as he was slapped across the face.

“I’m sorry, but you need to get up!” Ray insisted, “We don’t have time for this!”

Michael huffed, grumbling as he stumbled back to his feet. Ray led him through someplace made of metal that Michael couldn’t see properly. Something inside him was telling him something was wrong, that he needed to do something. Unfortunately he not only didn’t have the capacity to figure out what the wrong thing was, he also didn’t have the strength to fight whatever it was. Should do something. _Do something._ The thought seemed to echo in his head and against the metal around him, distracting him.

Ray propped him up against something metal and moved away. _Do something. Do something._

_ “Micool!” _

Michael’s head lulled to the side where Gavin’s voice came from, but he didn’t find him. _Gavin?_

_ “Michael!” _

Jeremy’s voice came from the other way.

_ “Michael!” _

Geoff was somewhere behind him. 

_ “Michael!” _

Jack was with him.

_ “Michael.” _

Michael blinked blearily at Ryan’s mask in front of him. His blue eyes stared deep into Michael’s soul.

_“You know I’ll come looking,” he whispered, “Leave me a sign.”_

_Do something. Do something._ Michael looked down at the gravel and fumbled for one of the pointiest pieces he could feel. He lifted it to the metal behind him. 

~

Ryan crouched, tracing a finger over the letters scratched into the metal shipping container. They were upside-down, but they were obviously the letters “CM”. _That’s my boy,_ Ryan thought, smiling proudly. He must’ve sat there, back against the crate, too weak to do anything but call out to Ryan. Ryan stood to walk around one side of the crate, looking for more breadcrumbs, ignoring his throbbing heart and brain. _I’m coming, buddy._

~

Ray returned to Michael and helped him up again. Michael staggered forward with him, confused and cloudy. The something wrong was Ray, he thought, but that didn’t make sense. Ray was good. His friend. He was right. Right?

Ray sat him down again, squeezing his shoulder.

“I know this sucks, but we gotta be safe,” he muttered, “I’ll be right back, baby.”

Michael watched him crouch walk around the corner, head turning all around. _Where are his shoes?_ Michael wondered. He giggled at the thought of the shoes just getting up and leaving, walking away. He swayed. Why was it so hot? 

_“Focus, Michael,” Ryan’s voice scolded._

_Do something. Do something._ Michael lifted the rock to the container and scratched out the letters. Ray returned and helped him to his feet again. They stopped twice more before Ray led Michael in someplace dark.

~

Ryan followed the letters until they ceased and looked around for a new sign. He found it, in the form of a warehouse. It was too close to the letters to be a coincidence. When the door opened, it confirmed that BrownMan had been there. He looked around the massive shelves with various shipping crates filling them. 

What the hell was BrownMan doing here with Michael? Especially so close to time for the place to start operating. Any minute now, people were going to show up and start hauling those crates out. Ryan rubbed at his temples as he looked around for signs of Michael. _Come on brain, come on heart, just keep it together a little longer._

There was an office, with the door slightly ajar. Ryan and Rimmy approached it cautiously, guns out as they neared it. They stood to either side, listening and Ryan could see the blue tinted glow of a computer dancing across the ugly gray carpet just inside the office. Either someone was inside or had left the computer on.

He nodded to Rimmy who nodded back and after a silent three seconds, they turned in toward the door. Rimmy kicked the door open, taking the lead with Ryan right behind him. BrownMan was inside, sitting at the desk with his socked-feet propped up on it. He was looking as unbothered as Ray as always did. Black metal in his hand reflected the light of the computer screen as he leveled the gun at Rimmy’s chest.

“Well, it’s about time,” he muttered.

Ryan had two seconds to wonder what the hell that meant before something impacted with the back of his skull and the world went dark. He heard Jeremy calling his name and two gunshots before he completely faded.

~

Jeremy didn’t like that there was blood on the backseat of the car Vagabond was looking over. It seemed obvious this was the car BrownMan had taken Michael in. Vagabond had followed some obvious tracks to it and was now looking inside. He sort of seemed like a detective, actually, searching for clues. A very irate detective. Jeremy again wondered why he had suddenly sped off and why he looked tenser than he had before. He didn’t care about Michael, why would he be concerned?

Vagabond crouched down near the trunk of the car and hummed, sounding frustrated. Jeremy peeked over his shoulder, trying to see what was frustrating him. There was a bunch of disturbed gravel, like someone had been shuffling around, but Jeremy didn’t really know what that meant. There was, however, a bit of blood he’d not noticed before. Barely any. He probably wouldn’t have seen it if not for Vagabond. 

Vagabond stood and moved forward in very deliberate, careful steps. Jeremy squinted at the ground. There was a blood trail apparently. Vagabond’s eyes were as sharp as Ryan’s.

Vagabond paused following the blood trail and hummed. As he looked over the shipping container he’d stopped in front of. There was blood on it. He snapped his fingers and Jeremy rolled his eyes as he came forward. Vagabond manhandled him into sitting against the container and then reeled back like he was going to punch Jeremy. Jeremy flinched, head jerking to the side, but the blow didn’t land. 

Jeremy reopened his eyes and realized the blood splatter was right in front of his face. It was a little higher than his own nose, but it seemed clear now that someone had been socked against the container. Vagabond gripped his arm and hauled him up before moving on. 

“So...Michael acted up and BrownMan hit him?” Jeremy guessed.

“No, not Mogar,” Vagabond muttered, “We’re following the path he took with Gold.”

_But we’re looking for Michael!_ Jeremy wanted to protest. But if BrownMan took both, then they’d probably be together, right? After a while of following the invisible path, Vagabond stopped by a warehouse of sorts. The door was unlocked. He took out a gun and Jeremy followed suit, hurrying after him as he entered the building. 

They found an office with the door opened wide and Jeremy could just barely see Ryan’s familiar form inside. _Ryan? What’s he doing here?_ Something suddenly swung out, slamming into the back of his head.

“Ryan!” Jeremy cried, running forward.

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

”Jeremy!” Vagabond shouted, also rushing forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangerrrr my fave


	27. Chapter 27

Jack, Geoff, and Ray walked into a scene akin to a busy renaissance pointing. To the very left, Jeremy had Gold on the ground, turning his face into hamburger with alternating fists. He was growling out warnings that Gold would “never hurt him again”. Nearby was a bloodied two-by-four broken in half. 

To the right of them was Ryan, passed out on the floor. The back of his head was bleeding. Past him, a little to the right, was Vagabond cradling Rimmy. He had his hand pressed over a large red strain spreading across Rimmy’s shirt. Rimmy’s chest was rising and falling in very labored breathing. Past them was a desk, at which sat the slumped dead body of BrownMan, a bullet hole in his forehead.

“What happened??” Geoff wondered wildly.

“What the fuck??” Jack agreed.

“Where’s Michael?!” Ray demanded.

Vagabond stood, carrying Rimmy toward the door.

“Help him,” he growled, “If you want me to keep searching or get the hell out of my way.”

Jack came forward to take Rimmy, but Vagabond flinched backwards.

“Not you,” he hissed, “Anyone but you.”

“I’m the one that can carry him!” Jack snapped.

“And you’re the one with a fucking death wish!” Vagabond snarled, “I wouldn’t trust you with a fucking potted cactus! _Move!”_

“There’s b team outside,” Geoff spoke up, “Ray, go with him, make sure they take Rimmy to the hospital.”

Vagabond and Ray left the room and Geoff focused on Jeremy who’d finished his readjustment of Gold’s face and was scooping Ryan into his arms. Geoff directed him outside to b team as well and he and Jack split up. Jack went to check BrownMan’s dead body and Geoff crouched by Gold who was wheezing. 

“Where is Michael?” He questioned.

“F-Fuck if I know,” Gold huffed, “He kept us...s-separate.”

“Geoff, I think I have an idea where Michael is,” Jack grunted.

“Stay still,” Geoff ordered Gold as he stood.

“St-Stay still, r-really, you b-bloody prick?” Gold choked.

Geoff rolled his eyes as he joined Jack beside BrownMan’s body. She pointed at the computer screen. On it was a manifest of the contents of the warehouse and where the crates were located.

“He stuffed him in a fucking crate,” Geoff guessed, rubbing his forehead, “A fucking crate?? He was literally going to ship him out of here??”

“Or it was temporary?” Jack suggested, “Look at how he was sitting. He was expecting Ry. Maybe he was just trying to hide him until he dealt with Ry?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Geoff muttered, “We need to find Michael. He could be suffocating. Some crates are made to close pretty tightly.”

“And he’s injured, it can’t be good for him,” Jack agreed, “How do we figure out what crate he’s in?”

“Well, it’s none of those,” Vagabond spoke up as he reentered the room, “Guaranteed, any on the screen now are not the right one.”

“He’ll have chosen at random,” Ray grunted, following after him, “We’re not going to guess what crate he’s in.”

“And the wolf cub is drugged,” Vagabond added, “So he probably won’t be able to call back to us. That’s out.”

“We have to search them all,” Ray grumbled.

“And we have limited time if we want to get out before employees show up,” Geoff murmured, “We have to get out there and split up.”

“He didn’t have time to reseal a crate at least,” Vagabond assured, “So it will have to be a still open one or a quick seal crate.”

“Are you absolutely sure of that?” Geoff pressed.

Vagabond hesitated.

“I could have the timing slightly off,” he admitted, “It _is_ possible he nailed a crate shut again.”

“Let’s get some crowbars from the supply area to be sure,” Geoff instructed, “We’ll have to be as quick as possible.”

Jeremy and who could be spared from b team joined them and they split into pairs to begin searching the aisles. Geoff wasn’t thrilled that he and Jack ended up automatically pairing out of habit. The silence was cold and unfriendly between them as they started searching crates. 

~

Michael hadn’t wanted to get in the coffin, but Ray had very roughly shoved him into it. He wasn’t sure why Ray was so wrong now. _What happened? Did I mess up?_ Michael tried to stop Ray from closing the lid and he smacked Michael’s hand away.

“Stop fighting!” He hissed, “I’m trying to help you, Michael!”

Michael whimpered, curling in on himself.

“No, don’t do that,” Ray muttered, “Look, I’m sorry, okay? Don’t cry.”

Michael sniffled as Ray touched his face gently.

“I’m sorry, I’m just stressed out,” he murmured, “The others are gone, Michael. Our alternates killed them. Now we have to get out before they kill us too, understand?”

Michael was too dizzy to understand anything. All he could think was Ray was wrong and Ryan was supposed to be doing something. Ray sighed.

“Right, you can’t understand what I’m saying,” he grumbled, “Just go back to sleep, baby. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Michael started drifting, not because he wanted to sleep. It was involuntary. Like what Ray said was law, he had to listen. Tears leaked from his eyes as the coffin’s lid closed on him. Wasn’t sleeping in a coffin being dead? _If I’m dead, can Ryan still find me?_

_ “I track dead people all the time,” Ryan’s voice reminded him. _

_Oh, right._ Michael relaxed a bit as his eyes closed. _I’m dead, but Ryan will find me._

~

Jeremy felt utterly frantic, prying crates open and cursing each new one that didn’t contain Michael. Vagabond behind him, checking the other side of the aisle, sounded just as frantic. 

“Why the hell have you been so crazy since after the office?” Jeremy grunted.

“Jeremy locked the door you opened,” Vagabond muttered, “I realized he was a step ahead of us, probably with the cuck, trying to get here first.”

“Why?” Jeremy wondered.

“I don’t know!” Vagabond snapped, suddenly halting, “What the hell would possess him to do something so stupid?!”

Jeremy glanced back at him. He was gripping the shelf tightly, breathing heavily. _Oh, he’s worried about Rimmy._ Rimmy who had gotten Ryan and managed to get a step ahead somehow. _He’s way smarter than me. But why would he bother? Didn’t Jack say he’d been anxious about BrownMan? Anxious..._

“He was trying to protect you,” Jeremy realized, getting back to the crates, “He was afraid you’d get hurt coming after BrownMan.”

Vagabond suddenly turned and started to leave. Jeremy hurried to grab his arm.

“You can’t leave!” He huffed, “We still have to find Michael!”

“I do not care!” Vagabond growled, still walking, “I’m going to Jeremy! I shouldn’t have left him alone!”

“D-Don’t you want what we agreed to??” Jeremy demanded as he failed to stop him.

Vagabond stopped, looking back to him.

“You’ll still do it?” He prompted, “Even though we didn’t get here first?”

“As long as we get Michael back safe and whole,” Jeremy agreed, “Let’s hurry so we can both go back to our partners. Then I’ll...y-you know.”

He cleared his throat, embarrassed. Vagabond touched his cheek lightly.

“You’re so pure, it’s adorable,” he chuckled, “Like a little angel.” 

Jeremy blushed brilliantly, eyes widening. Vagabond suddenly gripped his face tightly, leaning toward him.

“I’m going to fucking defile you,” he growled.

Jeremy shuddered and Vagabond shoved a hard kiss on his mouth before turning back to the crates. Jeremy hurried to follow suit, embarrassed that he’d gotten distracted for a moment. 

~

Michael woke to the lid of his coffin being pried open. The creak of wood and nails screeched in his ears as he slowly opened his eyes. A figure leaned over him and he smiled faintly as he reached for him.

“I knew you’d...find me,” he rasped.

“I got him!” Ryan shouted.

Michael weakly wrapped his arms around Ryan’s neck.

“What are-?” Ryan grunted.

He cut himself off, shaking his head and getting his arms under Michael’s shoulders and knees. Michael pressed his face in Ryan’s neck as he lifted him from his coffin. Voices were chattering all around him, but he just clung to Ryan, ignoring them all.

“I don’ wanna coffin,” he murmured in Ryan’s ear, “Burn me.”

“You want to be cremated, got it,” Ryan muttered, “Just rest, wolf cub.”

“Mmkay.”

Now Michael slept because he _wanted_ to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m tired, but who needs sleep when you’re dead inside?


	28. Chapter 28

Jack and Ray were sitting together in the waiting room, waiting for Geoff to come back from where they’d hauled Michael off to.

“So what’d you do?” Ray prompted, “I sense extra tension with you and the boss man.”

“I traded places with my alternate who agreed to be his girlfriend,” Jack answered, “But we didn’t tell him we’d switched.”

“Ooh, yikes,” Ray grunted, “That’s not good.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jack snorted.

“Why would you-Oh, I see,” Ray muttered, “You were trying to give him what you thought he wanted.”

“Yes, but...” Jack murmured, “I think it was more about me than him.”

“Oh, definitely,” Ray agreed, nodding his head, “Actually, I’d say it was entirely about you.”

“Thanks, Dr. Narvaez,” Jack sneered, “How much will this session cost me?”

“It’ll cost you a Dr. Pepper,” Ray deadpanned, “But only if you actually have a breakthrough.”

Jack snorted, rolling her eyes. But he was right, so was Geoff. She’d been unhappy. She’d thought that was the solution. Except no, that wasn’t quite right, was it? Hadn’t she told Alternate that she thought everyone should get what they deserved? She wasn’t looking for her own happiness, she was looking for the misery she thought she deserved. 

She loved her family. She loved their work. She appreciated what she had, but she was still unhappy. Because she didn’t deserve any of it. She didn’t deserve happiness. So she wasn’t happy. And she was awful for being unhappy when she had everything she could want or need. It was a cycle of self-hatred. _I am unhappy because I don’t deserve happiness and because I am unhappy when I shouldn’t be. Fucking stellar._

She stood suddenly and went around the corner, returning a moment later and handing Ray a Dr. Pepper from the vending machine. 

“Dr. Narvaez has a nice ring to it,” Ray joked as he opened the soda, “Tell me more of your psychological problems, Ms. Pattillo.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t shake that, you little shit,” Jack grumbled.

“I like things exploding in my face though,” Ray deadpanned.

“Don’t be gross,” Jack sneered.

Geoff came out not too much later and they both stood anxiously.

“He’s going to be alright,” he assured them, “He’s got a lot of blood loss to recover from and he’s getting flushed now, but he’ll be okay.”

Jack puffed out a relieved sigh.

“I’ve gotta go check in with Ry and Jer,” Geoff grunted, “Ground the hell out of those idiots. Ray, I’m sorry, but you gotta stay away from Michael until he wakes up and we can talk to him. I need you to stick with Gavin, relieve the b team watching him.”

“I understand,” Ray agreed, “I’ll head that way then.”

He went off and Geoff rubbed his forehead tiredly. Jack winced.

“What about me?” She asked quietly.

“You’re with Michael,” Geoff answered, “Guard outside his room until they say you’re allowed in. Stick to him like glue. He needs a friendly face when he wakes up and I’m tired of us getting split up like this.”

“I got it,” Jack confirmed.

She hesitated to leave.

“Are you alright?” She mumbled.

“No, I’m not alright,” Geoff muttered, “None of us are. But honestly I’m wondering if we were less alright than we thought we were before this clusterfuck.”

“I’m starting to think that myself,” Jack grumbled, “Seemed like we all have poorly patched wounds.”

Geoff sighed, looking away.

“Just...let’s get through this,” he suggested, “Then we’ll talk.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed.

She watched him go off toward Ryan’s room, heart squeezing hard in her chest. _God, I’ve fucked everything up._

~

“Hey, Vav.”

Gavin blinked out of his trance, looking over as Ray came in his hospital room.

“X-Ray,” he murmured, smiling weakly.

Ray sat on his bed.

“How’s Micool?” Gavin asked.

“They’re flushing the drug out of his system,” Ray grunted, “He lost a dangerous amount of blood. But they said he should be okay.”

Gavin sighed with relief, relaxing against the bed.

“And everyone else?” He prompted.

“Ry’s practically in an ice bath,” Ray snorted, “They gotta get his body temperature and heart rate down. They said he’s probably got a minor concussion too. But provided Geoff’s grounding works and he stays in bed like he’s supposed to, he should be okay. Jeremy...looks like a fucking ghost. I don’t know what’s up with him.”

“He agreed to do something for Vagabond,” Gavin explained, “Knowing Vagabond, it’s sexual in nature.”

“Oh, boy,” Ray murmured, shaking his head, “What a shitstorm. Anyway, how you holding up?”

“I’m missing a finger, I got shot, and my arm’s broken,” Gavin answered blandly.

“So typical Tuesday?” Ray deadpanned.

Gavin laughed, running a tired hand over his face.

“I missed you, X-Ray,” he admitted.

“I missed you too, Vav,” Ray returned, “It’s good to see you. Almost lucky, this whole mess.”

“Yeah, almost,” Gavin snorted.

“You been eatin’ and sleepin’ right while I was gone?” Ray prompted.

“Who cares?” Gavin grumbled, lifting his tablet.

Ray pushed his tablet back down into his lap. Gavin looked at him to see his eyes filled with concern.

_“I_ care, Gavin,” he answered quietly.

Gavin’s eyes filled with tears and reached for him. Ray wrapped his arms around him, holding him closely.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” he soothed, rubbing his back gently, “I’m here, brother.”

Gavin clutched his hoodie tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. He blubbered on about how everything had gone to shit, about Michael, the universe, Michael, Jack switching, Michael, losing his finger, Michael. Ray just listened as he always did, running his hand through his hair and rubbing his back. 

“An-And I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Gavin sniffled, “I can’t stop th-thinking about Micool an-and having sex with him. Even hurt, I-I’m thinking about it!”

“I think that’s called being repressed,” Ray muttered dryly, “And you can’t stop thinking about him because you’re in love with him.”

“I am??” Gavin demanded, pulling back.

“Obviously, dummy,” Ray snorted, “You think about him all the time, get gushy when you’re near him, heart flutters and shit. Plus you really care about him, right?”

“W-Well, yeah, he’s my boi,” Gavin mumbled, “But...I really care about you too. I’m not in love with you. Er, I don’t think so? Am I in love with you?”

“No, you’re not,” Ray dismissed, “Michael’s different from everyone else, right? You lay in bed thinking about him. His smile makes you happy. You want to be with him always. He makes you feel warm inside.”

Gavin pressed his hand to his chest. He’d just never thought about it. All the jokes people made about them being together had been embarrassing or funny or people just not understanding how they were. But...hadn’t it also made him sort of happy? _He...he’s right. I’m in love with Michael._

“I’ve...never been in love before,” he admitted, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Tell him,” Ray suggested, “Be honest with him.”

Gavin’s chest clenched with sudden dread.

“But what if...he doesn’t love me back?” He wondered.

“Then you move on,” Ray offered, “Sometimes people don’t feel the same as you. So you just accept it and move on.”

“He’ll still be my boi though?” Gavin pressed, “Even if I tell him?”

“Yes, he’ll always be your boi,” Ray assured him, “Just like we’ll always be X-Ray and Vav, Jack and Geoff will always be Jacky and Geoffers, Jeremy will be Lil’ J, and Ryan will be Ryebread. Even if the relationship changes, we’re always going to be your family, Gav.”

Gavin burst into tears again, throwing his arms around Ray and Ray held him close, chuckling.

“You’re a crybaby, Vav,” he teased lightly.

“It’s your bloody fault!” Gavin cried.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ray snorted.

Unseen by Gavin, his smile slid from his face and he stared forlornly into space as he rubbed Gavin’s back. Truly he thought the hardest part about loving someone was wanting the best for them, even when it hurt you.

~

“Haywood, you better have a damn good explanation for what the hell happened,” Geoff growled.

“Geoff, he-“ Jeremy started.

“Quiet, Jeremy,” Geoff cut him off, “Ryan is a big boy, he can speak for himself.”

Ryan wouldn’t meet his eye.

“Rimmy called me,” he muttered.

“To ask you to help him track BrownMan,” Geoff guessed.

“Yes, sir,” Ryan answered.

“And you left to help him,” Geoff continued.

“Yes, sir.”

“What the hell would possess you to do something so colossally stupid?” Geoff demanded.

Ryan’s eyes hesitantly met his.

“Love, sir,” he mumbled.

“And do you realize you almost let love get you killed?” Geoff sneered.

“Yes, I follow the example of my king, sir,” Ryan murmured, voice cool.

_ Smack! _

Ryan didn’t try to move his head from where Geoff’s slap had turned it. Geoff tried to get his breathing normalized.

“You are on suspension,” he growled, “Grounded. You stay in this fucking room until they say you’re better.”

“Yes, sir,” Ryan agreed quietly.

Geoff turned away from him toward Jeremy whose eyes dropped. He shied away from the intense look on Geoff’s face.

“And you, what the hell were you thinking?” He questioned, “I can only assume Vagabond demanded something sexual in return for his services?”

“Y-Yes, sir,” Jeremy squeaked.

“Are you a sex worker, Jeremy?” Geoff grumbled.

“Um, n-no, sir,” Jeremy mumbled.

“Then why the hell would you exchange sex like a product?” Geoff demanded.

“Michael was in trouble, I had to do something!” Jeremy protested, looking up and fists clenching.

“No, you didn’t,” Geoff insisted, “You should have waited, we should have discussed this as a family.”

“It’s my body!” Jeremy argued, “I can do whatever I want with it!”

“You can, Jeremy,” Geoff agreed tightly, “But do you want to do this?”

Jeremy’s fire sputtered and his head dropped.

“No, I don’t,” he admitted in a tiny voice.

“You put yourself in unnecessary danger,” Geoff pointed out, “You could’ve been hurt and you scared the shit out of us. Your body isn’t a fucking reward for good behavior, Jeremy. You should never treat it as such.”

Jeremy paused, looking back up. He was hesitating like he wanted to say something, his eyes filled with desperation, but he just nodded miserably instead.

“You’re to stay here, guarding Ryan,” Geoff ordered, “Make sure he stays where he belongs and isn’t cornered by one of the others.”

Jeremy looked apprehensive, fidgeting with the edge of his shirt.

“But I...I agreed,” he murmured hesitantly.

“It can wait until Rimmy’s out of surgery at the very least,” Geoff dismissed, “I’ll talk to him anyway. But do not do that again. Do not put yourself in danger like that again, because we might not always be able to help you.”

“Yes, sir,” Jeremy agreed.

“Good, also don’t fuck Ryan,” Geoff grumbled, “He needs to keep his heart rate and body heat down.”

“Y-Yes, of course,” Jeremy choked, blushing.

Geoff left, shaking his head. _Unbelievable._ He headed to where Vagabond was being guarded in an used room of the hospital. Geoff was glad they’d had the money to basically buy the damn place or this entire situation would be ten times worse. Pain flared up from his wound and he hissed. _Maybe should get some pain killers before telling off Vagabond._

~

“Wow, he’s pretty mad,” Jeremy mumbled as he sat beside Ryan.

Ryan remained quiet, still looking the direction Geoff had slapped his face in. His long hair was loose, hanging in his face, partially blocking it from Jeremy. 

“I-I’m sure he’ll forgive you though,” Jeremy continued nervously, “Surely he understands why. He’s just upset you were in danger is all. You know he worries. I’m sure as soon as you’re better, he’ll unground you.”

“Jeremy,” Ryan cut off any more rambling.

“Yes? What do you need?” Jeremy prompted, leaning forward.

“What did you promise him?” Ryan asked quietly.

Jeremy swallowed thickly, his throat clicking dryly. He looked down at his hands in his lap.

“Does it matter?” He countered.

“Yes.”

Jeremy’s fists and eyes squeezed closed.

“I promised him...” he whispered weakly, “My virginity.”

“What?!” Ryan demanded in a sudden shout.

Jeremy looked up, startled. He shrank back from the absolute rage in Ryan’s face. 

“He...he said “I want you to give me your first time, so he can never have it”,” he mumbled.

“That absolute fucking pig!” Ryan snarled.

He tried to get up, but Jeremy hurriedly pushed him back down.

“Don’t!” He cried, “Your heart is going to explode!”

Ryan struggled, looking less like he was trying to get away from Jeremy, more like he was trying to calm himself down. 

“I-It’s okay, Geoff’s going t-to talk him out of it,” Jeremy assured him shakily, “Y-You’ll still get...y-you know.”

_“That’s_ what you think I’m mad about?!” Ryan snapped, “I don’t give a fuck about virginity! That’s a stupid fucking social construct! You are not worth less based on how many people you have or haven’t fucked!”

He gasped, clutching around the device strapped to his chest.

“R-Ryan, please, calm down,” Jeremy mumbled tearfully, “Y-You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“D-Don’t cry,” Ryan huffed, clutching at Jeremy’s jacket, “I’m s-sorry. I-I’m calming d-down, okay? Don’t cry.”

Jeremy sat beside him on his bed, wiping roughly at his tears. 

“I-I’m trying so hard not t-to think I’m what h-he said I am,” he sniffled, “But it’s-it’s on my face now! How can I think I’m anything but this?!”

“On...your face?” Ryan grunted, still a bit breathless, “What’s on your face?”

Jeremy covered the bandage self-consciously. 

“N-Nothing,” he stammered, “D-Doesn’t matter.”

“He...marked your face,” Ryan guessed, “His initials, I thought...they were on your heart, he...put them on your face.”

Jeremy shook his head miserably. He hesitated before carefully peeling back the bandage enough to show Ryan the letters on his cheek. Ryan’s eyes widened slightly and he gripped Jeremy’s chin, turning his face sideways to see them better. 

“Why...I’ve never...why...” he huffed.

“So I know what I am,” Jeremy murmured, “So everyone knows what I am. He said...his initials weren’t enough to tell everyone what I am. Toy was too vague, so he chose...” 

“Slut,” Ryan finished for him.

Tears poured down Jeremy’s face, flowing over the four letters lined neatly on his cheek.

“How am I ever meant to be anything but this now?” He whispered thickly, “Anyone who looks at me will know.”

Ryan gently pressed the bandage back in place and pulled Jeremy close, avoiding his device and wires and both of their wounds as well as he could. 

“First of all, plastic surgery and makeup are options,” he muttered, “Second, I will kill anyone who tries to comment. Third and most importantly, what someone tries to make you isn’t what you are. Only you get to decide that.”

_What do I want to be?_ Jeremy wondered. 

_ Darlin’. _

Jeremy blushed, burying his face in Ryan’s shoulder.

“I want...to be your darlin’,” he confessed.

Ryan grunted, clutching at his chest again.

“F-Fuck!” He groaned.

“A-Are you okay??” Jeremy demanded, sitting up.

“F-Fine,” Ryan grit out through his teeth.

“Liar!” Jeremy accused, “You need to relax!”

“A-Anything for you...darlin’,” Ryan wheezed.

“Ryan!” Jeremy cried.

He hugged him and Ryan brushed his hand over his hair, face weakly pulling into a fond smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long to come out because I’ve been struggling all day yesterday and today with Twitter people consistently arguing with and insulting me. My anxiety and my heart condition have worked together to make this experience pretty terrible. I am doing my best to resolve the issues brought up by well-meaning people in an effort to make sure my work remains away from the people it may harm. But the less well-meaning people are making it extremely difficult to continue writing, which I imagine is their goal. I can’t promise that I will continue writing at this point because I am losing the comfort writing these fics gave me. I apologize to those of you that use my fics as an escape from the real world bullshit and I’m sorry in advance if I end up dropping off. Thank you for reading anyway.


	29. Chapter 29

Geoff sighed at the door of the unused little room that contained Vagabond. _This is not going to be very fun for me._

“Go eat, take a nap, whatever,” he ordered b team, “I’ll watch him.”

B team headed off and Geoff opened the door. Vagabond was sitting with his forearms braced on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. He looked up as Geoff entered and sat up straight as Geoff came to stand in front of him.

“I’m not backing down,” he spoke firmly, “He agreed.”

“That’s dubious consent at best,” Geoff countered, “It’s not happening.”

“You really don’t want to kick up a fuss about this, boss,” Vagabond sneered.

“I’m not letting you take any more from him!” Geoff snapped.

“Oh?” Vagabond prompted coolly, “What are you going to do to stop me?”

Geoff knew he had to offer Vagabond something. If he didn’t, Vagabond would be the one kicking up a fuss. They really were spread too thin now to deal with a pissed of Vagabond. So Geoff had to distract him from Jeremy. The best way to do so was to give him something else to fuck and stroke his ego while he was at it. He stepped closer to Vagabond, leaning in.

“I’m tired of being third place,” he murmured, sliding his hands up Vagabond’s chest, “Wouldn’t you prefer me, boss?”

Vagabond’s breathing caught and his eyes dropped to Geoff’s lips. He smirked.

“I knew you were into it,” he taunted, putting his hands on Geoff’s hips, “But there’s a problem. What I asked of him, you cannot give me.”

“Are you so sure?” Geoff prompted, slipping into his lap, “Why don’t you try me?”

“He agreed to give me his virginity,” Vagabond snorted, raising an eyebrow at Geoff.

Geoff cleared his throat, blushing and looking away.

“Oh, um...y-yes, I can g-give you, uh, th-that,” he stammered.

Vagabond’s other eyebrow joined the first in surprise, then he grinned wickedly. 

“I’m shocked,” he laughed, “I never would’ve guessed.”

His hands ran over Geoff’s thighs, eyes trailing down.

“Mm, I dunno if I can be gentle with you,” he mused, “I’m so riled up from the past couple days. Jeremy, I can’t break him, but you, I might break you.”

Geoff shuddered and pressed in to kiss him. _This is just for Jeremy,_ he tried to convince himself as Vagabond pressed back, running his hands over Geoff’s hips to squeeze his ass. Then he pushed him off his lap.

“Lock the door,” he muttered, unbuckling his belt.

Geoff locked the door and turned back toward him. Vagabond tossed him a bottle that he fumbled to catch.

“You ever fingered yourself?” Vagabond grunted as he pulled his cock out, “Or I gotta teach you that too?”

“I-I can do it,” Geoff grumbled, embarrassed.

“Turn around,” Vagabond ordered, “Give me a little show, baby.”

“Bossy,” Geoff sneered as he turned.

His face was crimson, but he ignored it as he dropped his pants and underwear. He poured lube on his fingers and bent, bracing one hand on the wall as the other went between his legs. He pressed his fingers to his asshole and tried not to think as he pushed one inside himself. 

“Hurry it up,” Vagabond growled, “Gone days without fucking anything, I’m going fucking insane.”

“Jesus, you know sex addiction is a thing, right?” Geoff snorted, struggling to focus on sassing him, “Consider therapy.”

“I’ll consider therapy when you quit being a repressed little slut,” Vagabond countered, “Or when you admit you want to fuck your Vagabond.”

“I-I do _not_ want t-to fuck Ryan!” Geoff sputtered.

“Liar,” Vagabond accused, “You want him to bend you over and make you his little bitch. You want all that bullshit about being big, bad Kingpin to mean nothing as he fucks your little whore ass. You got the terrifying, deadly Vagabond to submit, follow your orders, call you sir. Now you want him to return the favor.”

He stood while Geoff bit his tongue, trying to stop the moaning that wanted to come out and hating the fact he’d worked himself up to three fingers almost subconsciously. Vagabond gripped his shoulder.

“Move your fucking hand,” he growled.

“W-Wait, wait,” Geoff huffed, “You have to...h-have to promise y-you’ll leave Jeremy alone.”

Vagabond hummed, sounding annoyed and his face drew up. Geoff looked at him over his shoulder.

“Won’t he come to you eventually anyway?” He whispered, “Besides, you won’t get this from your King, will you, _boss?”_

Vagabond’s eyes trailed down and he hummed again. Geoff pulled away slightly as if he was going to stand and pull up his pants.

“A-Alright, alright!” Vagabond blurted, “I-I’ll leave him alone, I promise. Move your hand.”

Geoff moved his hand and Vagabond’s cock pressed up to his asshole immediately. It actually felt a bit good to have him desperate. Geoff grunted, a hiss coming out between his teeth as Vagabond’s cock pushed into him. No amount of playing with himself prepared him for that. It was slow going, his body tensed against Vagabond forcing his way in. His forearms braced on the wall as the burning, stretching pain ripped up his ass. He was shaking, huffing pained breaths as Vagabond pressed fully inside him, laying over his back and nosing at his ear.

“F-Fuck, you’re tight,” he groaned, “You’re only mine. My little bitch.”

He gripped Geoff’s short hair and shoved his face into the wall. 

“Say it,” he growled as his hips rolled.

Geoff grunted, huffing out sharp breaths as Vagabond started moved way too quickly, jolting him into the wall with each sharp thrust.

“Say it!” Vagabond snapped, “Say you’re my little bitch.”

“Fuck. You.” Geoff grit out through his teeth.

“In your fucking dreams,” Vagabond sneered.

Then he bit Geoff’s ear, hard. Hard enough to make it bleed, drawing a pained snarl from Geoff. 

“Get off my f-fucking ear, you dick!” He growled, elbowing Vagabond in the chest.

Vagabond laughed breathlessly as he let go. 

“God, you’re fun to fuck with,” he huffed, hips jerking hard and fast into Geoff, “Such a whiny little bitch.”

“Nnh, f-fuck off,” Geoff grunted.

“I doubt you really want me to,” Vagabond snorted.

He reached around Geoff to grip his hard cock and Geoff sucked in a sharp gasp through his teeth. He relaxed slightly on Vagabond’s cock, his thighs spreading.

“There you go, good boy,” Vagabond purred in his ear, “Nice and relaxed for me. You wanna come?”

Geoff clenched his jaw and his eyes squeezed tightly closed as Vagabond’s hand moved too slowly to get him off. 

“Y-Yes,” he grumbled.

“Yes?” Vagabond prompted.

“Yes...boss,” Geoff muttered.

Vagabond yanked on his hair, forcing him to arch off the wall.

“Then tell me what you are,” he growled.

No fucking way on God’s green earth was Geoff going to call himself Vagabond’s little bitch. Then sparks shot across his pelvis as Vagabond’s thick cock rubbed over that particularly sensitive spot inside him. He moaned, hips moving back against Vagabond’s thrusts. Vagabond’s grip on his cock tightened on the base as he fucked against Geoff’s prostate. The pleasure shooting through him was aided by the knowledge he was being used and Geoff was writhing with need.

“P-Please!” He cried, the plea bursting from him before he could stop it.

“Say it,” Vagabond ordered lowly.

“I-I’m...y-your bitch,” Geoff sobbed.

“Good boy,” Vagabond praised.

His hand started moving and it didn’t Geoff take long to come against the wall. He slumped, but Vagabond looped an arm across his torso, holding his shoulder to keep him up as he fucked sloppily into him. He let out a soft moan and pressed hard into Geoff, stilling as he came inside him. His fist slammed into the wall next to Geoff’s head and his forehead pressed between Geoff’s shoulder blades.

“Why did he do that?” He whispered.

_Why did who do what?_ Geoff wondered. Vagabond’s hand tightened into a fist in Geoff’s jacket.

“Why the hell did I think this would make me feel better?” He mumbled.

“Because you’re a sex-crazed lunatic?” Geoff offered, still a bit breathless.

Vagabond snorted as he pulled away and to Geoff’s surprise, actually started cleaning his come off Geoff. 

“Did not expect you to give a fuck,” Geoff admitted.

“I clean and maintain all toys and equipment,” Vagabond offered offhandedly, “If it isn’t cared for, how will I use it again?”

“I should’ve known it wasn’t actual consideration,” Geoff muttered dryly.

After he and the wall were mostly clean and he had his clothes back in place, he immediately went for the door. _Time to get the hell out of this situation and pretend it didn’t happen._ Vagabond snagged his wrist before he could and pulled him back. Geoff jolted in surprise as Vagabond pulled him close.

“No goodbye kiss, baby?” He teased.

“Do I look like your boyfriend?” Geoff sneered, pushing away from him.

Vagabond’s hand tightened on his wrist as he tried to pull away.

“You...will tell me when there’s news on Jeremy, right?” He asked quietly.

Geoff kept forgetting these assholes actually loved each other.

“As long as you stay put and be good,” he muttered, “You’ll know as soon as we do.”

Vagabond released him and sent back to sitting in the chair, staring blankly. Geoff left the room, sitting down outside it to guard the door for a bit. Without the adrenaline, a dull ache sprang to life in his gut, where his wound was and in his ass, where Vagabond wrecked him. A sharp throb of pain in his ear reminded him of that too. 

He buried his face in his hands. He knew this decision was over all the better one. Vagabond would’ve fought, causing more injuries and possibly death while they would all struggle not to kill him for the sake of the universe. Though at this point, Geoff wondered if that ship had sailed. This was the best way to calm down death incarnate, the best way to avoid more pain. 

But it didn’t feel like the right decision. It felt gross and hollow. And Geoff wondered if he’d really done it for the good of the whole or if he just wanted it. Certainly it had felt good and definitely distracted him from all the bullshit. Guilt gnawed hard on his heart. _What the hell am I doing?_

~

_ The others are gone, Michael. _

Michael woke up with a silent scream rasping in his throat as he jerked upright. 

_ The others are gone, Michael. _

Michael’s eyes darted around, panicked and landed on Jack who was slumped in a chair beside his bed. She was sleeping, looking like she’d simply passed out, unable to keep awake. 

_ The others are gone, Michael. _

So was this Jack or was it her alternate? Michael couldn’t tell the difference. A nurse bustled in suddenly, coming to check why his heart rate had suddenly skyrocketed and Jack stirred, waking up. She sat up quickly as she saw Michael was awake now. 

“Nightmare?” The nurse guessed as they checked Michael’s vitals.

“S-Something like that,” Michael rasped, eyes on Jack, “Which...one are you?”

“I’m your Jack,” Jack assured him.

He wasn’t sure he believed her.

“The others?” He prompted.

“Well, everyone’s injured,” Jack muttered, “But here and safe.”

“I’ll get you some food,” the nurse spoke up, “Just try to relax.”

Michael nodded as he leaned back against the bed, eyes still on Jack. Jack waited until the nurse left to speak again.

“Do you remember anything?” She asked hesitantly.

_ The others are gone, Michael. _

“Not really,” he mumbled, “Flashes of...Ray and Ryan.”

“Well, maybe I should have Geoff talk to you,” she muttered.

“Just fucking tell me,” he grumbled.

She told him. Starting with BrownMan impersonating Ray, then their rough approximation of what happened when BrownMan kidnapped him, and ending with how they caught up with him. So BrownMan was the one who told him everyone else was dead? Or at least that’s what Jack said. And provided this was his Jack, then he could accept it as truth.

He stared at the ceiling, even after the nurse returned with the food. He couldn’t shake the horrible feeling that his actual family was dead. It was like the idea had gotten stuck in his brain and he couldn’t dislodge it. It was latched in there, gripping whatever part of his brain made him cold with fear. Why, he wondered, was this the one thing he remembered? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fucking clusterfuck.
> 
> So sorry for the erratic schedule guys. I’m really trying to get back on track. 😅


	30. Chapter 30

Ryan hesitated outside the doorway to Michael’s room. He looked at Jack.

“You’re sure he asked for me?” He prompted.

“Yes, he specified very clearly,” Jack assured him, “He said he didn’t want to talk to anyone else.”

Ryan couldn’t imagine why. Why wouldn’t he want to talk to Gavin? Or Ray? Or literally _anyone_ but Ryan? Ryan was technically still on bed rest, still grounded but Geoff had allowed this for Michael’s sake. Ryan carefully slipped in the room, pushing the door open just a little further so the cart he was dragging along could fit through with him. 

He rounded the curtain pulled halfway around Michael’s bed and found Michael staring at the ceiling. He approached cautiously, wary of a cornered wolf. Michael blinked heavily, head tilting down to see who was joining him. His distant, dead expression warmed and he sat up further, puffing out a sigh.

“Ryan,” he muttered, “Man, am I glad to see you.”

_Really??_ Ryan sat beside him.

“How are you?” He questioned.

“I’m fine,” Michael assured him, “Still a bit fucked up, but I think everything’s where it’s meant to be. How are you?”

“My heart’s fucked,” Ryan admitted bluntly, “They had to put something in me to make it work right. But otherwise I’m fine.”

“Ryan, is...” Michael started, sparing a nervous glance toward the door, “Is that actually Jack?”

“It is, yes,” Ryan confirmed.

Michael relaxed some, puffing out another relieved sigh. _Why does he need my reassurances?_ Ryan wondered. _Why does he believe me above Jack?_

“I know what you’re thinking,” Michael muttered, “But I don’t know why. All I can remember is you and BrownMan. The distinct feeling that you guided me, that you helped me.”

“You hallucinated I was with you,” Ryan guessed.

“I...don’t know,” Michael mumbled, rubbing his face tiredly, “I just can’t fucking shake the feeling that you’re the only one I can trust.”

“I suppose after something like that,” Ryan reasoned, “We’re lucky you trust any of us.”

“Everyone _is_...alive?” Michael asked, looking over at him hesitantly.

“Everyone’s alive,” Ryan confirmed.

“You’re sure?” Michael pressed.

“I’m sure,” Ryan assured him.

Michael slumped, suddenly looking exhausted.

“Can you...stay?” He murmured.

“I’ll stay,” Ryan agreed.

Michael reached for his hand and Ryan took it, a bit reluctantly. _He needs this, I’ll accommodate him._ Michael fell asleep quickly and Ryan found himself rubbing away tears. Gavin, Jeremy, and Michael now all three had come to him for comfort. He felt wholly inadequate.

~

“Hey, he alright?” Geoff asked as he walked up to where Jack was sitting outside Michael’s door.

“Ryan or Michael?” Jack wondered.

“Both, I guess,” Geoff muttered.

“Think so,” Jack murmured, “Ryan seemed to put Michael at ease and he’s gone back to sleep. None of Ry’s machines are beeping, so I think that means he’s fine.”

“Good,” Geoff grunted, “Rimmy’s almost out of surgery they said.”

“Hopefully this’ll be over soon then,” Jack mumbled.

“Hopefully,” Geoff agreed.

He sat on the other side of the doorway and rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was about time for a checklist.

  1. Wait for Rimmy to get out of surgery.
  2. Wait for everyone to recover.
  3. Pick up the physicist.
  4. Take the circus to the beginning.
  5. Pray.



It was a shorter list than he’d thought it would be with everything on his mind. In fact, things seemed to finally be nearing the conclusion of this bizarre story. The end. He’d never before been so ready for the end. 

There would be a lot more to fix when the alternates were gone, provided that was still possible. That checklist was a mile long and most of those things couldn’t be fixed. There were a million things to make functional again, seemed a better way to say it. 

One on the checklist happened pretty quickly. Two was going to take at least three weeks and this is when the checklist went to shit. And Geoff had somewhat seen it coming, but still managed not to stop it. 

To keep Vagabond and Rimmy and Mogar and Gold at least somewhat calm, the two pairs were being held with their respective partners during the recovery period. Geoff had not expected the pairs to find a way to communicate with the each other or with Kingpin. He didn’t particularly expect them to work together either. But there he was, watching security footage of the five alternates breaking free of their prison. Working together almost as fluidly as his own family. 

He wasn’t even sure how they did communicate, but they had to have coordinated, because Vagabond, Rimmy, and Kingpin were all at their doors before Gold and Mogar used their device to disrupt the electronic locks on their own door. In addition, Mogar and Gold knew the exact right locations to find their crew mates, despite Kingpin being held some distance from them. Another clue for their communication was that Vagabond and Rimmy had fashioned four makeshift weapons, one for everyone but Gold who was using the electronic disruption device to get through doors. 

The five struck at exactly the right time: when the guards at the security feed were switching out. A few minutes at most was all they had to slip out of their cells and get together before someone noticed. They succeeded and using their homemade projectile weapons, fought their way out. Because the guards weren’t allowed to kill them and of course because they were some of the best fighters in the state, the fight was easy enough. 

They’d already gotten out and stolen a van when Geoff and his family showed to stop them. Ryan and Jeremy were first on the scene, faster on Ryan’s bike. Unfortunately, Gold and Mogar’s device could disrupt the thing keeping Ryan’s heart working properly and Ryan nearly wiped out completely. If not for Jeremy on the bike, managing to hold him up and keep them steady, Ryan could’ve crashed and died. They had to back off.

Jack and Geoff were next, followed closely by Michael and Gavin. The vehicle was armored, since it was one of theirs and Geoff and Gavin’s firing on it did nothing. They had flanked the van, waiting for b team to complete the box, but Kingpin, driving, ran Michael off the road. 

Jack, determined as ever, tried to return the favor. Until the side door of the van opened and Vagabond aimed a weapon at Geoff’s head. Then she tried to follow behind, but the back doors opened as well and Rimmy fired at them. Unable to fire back for risk of killing them, their best option was to let them go and try to keep tracking them on Gavin’s network. But Gold knew how to avoid the network and they disappeared.

So there it was. The successful escape of the alternate Fake AH Crew. Really, it hadn’t even been that hard for them. Geoff sighed, dropping his head in his hands. It was time to face the music. He hasn’t been strict enough with checking the medical equipment in the alternates’ cells, hadn’t paid enough attention to them because he was too worried about his family, hadn’t been clever enough to catch them as they fled. 

“Geoff, it’s not your fault,” Gavin spoke quietly beside him, reminding him they were reviewing the footage together. 

“You think if you say it, it makes it true?” Geoff muttered tiredly.

“No, but it _is_ true,” Gavin answered.

“Sure,” Geoff snorted, “It’s not my fault that I let them get away.”

“Geoff,” Gavin started sternly.

“Save it,” Geoff cut off, looking up, “Let’s just focus on finding them again.”

“Okay,” Gavin murmured, “We’re ready for the family meeting then?”

“Yeah,” Geoff confirmed, “Let’s get everyone in the conference room and start getting this sorted.”

Once everyone was gathered, each looking grim and anxious, Geoff began to split up tasks.

“Hang on, boss,” Ray interrupted, “Aren’t we playing their game again?”

“What do you mean?” Geoff grunted, frowning.

“Splitting up to search for them,” Ray explained, “That’s what they want, isn’t it? Divide and conquer, right?”

“That _has_ been their whole strategy,” Jack agreed.

“So we have the buddy system,” Geoff pointed out.

“But that doesn’t always fucking help,” Michael sneered.

“So what then?” Geoff grumbled.

“We let them come to us,” Jeremy piped up, muffled behind the yellow mask, “If we all stay together and alert, then they can’t get the drop on us.”

“So we hunker down here?” Michael snorted, “Not exactly a living space.”

“Geoff!” Gavin exclaimed, clapping his hands together, “The penthouse!”

“Oh, shit, I forgot about that,” Geoff muttered, “Yeah, we had our eyes on a penthouse downtown before this mess started. We’d been considering moving everyone together, but we couldn’t decide if everyone would be into it. Is it still available?”

Gavin tapped quickly on his tablet.

“Yes, still available!” He answered, nodding enthusiastically, “Probably because it’s so bloody expensive. Yikes. I’m not sure we have enough on the business accounts after we nearly bought the hospital.”

“Jeremy?” Ryan spoke up quietly, turning toward him.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at him as did the rest of them. Ryan leaned toward him and whispered in his ear. Jeremy listened a moment then nodded.

“Yes, that’s okay,” he answered.

Ryan pulled back and turned to address the others.

“I have a significant sum of money saved,” he announced, “I’ll pay for the penthouse.”

After some hesitation and debate, Geoff allowed it with the condition he’d be paid back. 

“Okay, we’re sticking together like glue until these assholes finally reveal themselves again,” Geoff muttered, “We cannot let them separate us again. We cannot allow them to fuck us up any more. So we live together, we work together, we breathe together. We all must follow this or risk everyone. Understood?”

“Understood,” his family chorused together.

Geoff felt a little less shaky and a little more confident. _Everything’s going to be...well, not okay, but functioning._ By the end of the week, FAHC was moving into their new home.

~

Ryan and Jeremy sat on the bed, having removed the last of their clothing and Ryan hesitated as he touched Jeremy’s thigh.

“Jeremy...are you sure you’re ready?” He muttered.

“No,” Jeremy admitted, “But I want to try.”

Ryan leaned toward him, pressing a kiss to Jeremy’s lips as his hand trailed up his thigh. _Please, please let me have this!_ Ryan begged as Jeremy’s hands laid over his shoulders. When Ryan pressed him back, he went easily. With a little bit of shifting, Jeremy was flat on the bed with Ryan knelt between his spread legs. 

Ryan took the lube off the nightstand and Jeremy shivered as he rubbed the cool liquid over his asshole. He tensed, wincing as Ryan pressed the first finger inside him. Ryan went slow, giving him time to adjust to the feeling and relax. He ignored the sick part of him that smugly observed Jeremy wasn’t used to this because he was a virgin. Which meant he was only Ryan’s. _God, you’re just like that fucking pig, Haywood. Disgusting._

Jeremy was panting, letting out grunts and tiny, soft moans, as Ryan loosened him up. By the time he was loose enough, Jeremy was a total mess. Sweaty, gripping the sheets tightly, body twitching as it tried to fuck down onto Ryan’s fingers. The image was enough to drive a man wild with desire and Ryan was, in fact, a man. He was throbbing between his legs watching Jeremy’s beautiful body, dewy with sweat, arching up, face drawn up and flushed. _Fuck, I need him so bad._

“R-Ryan,” he huffed, reaching for him.

Ryan leaned over him, rubbing his unoccupied hand over Jeremy’s hip as Jeremy put his arms around his neck. Ryan tried to lower his breathing and his erratic heart rate. 

“You’re ready?” He prompted.

Jeremy nodded shakily. Ryan shifted, looking down between them as he pulled his fingers away. He rubbed lube over his cock, his hand a bit shaky as he guided himself to Jeremy’s asshole. Jeremy tensed and Ryan let go of his hip to grip the headboard as he slipped inside him.

“W-Wait, wait!” Jeremy blurted.

Ryan froze, head jerking up.

“What, what is it?” He asked, anxiety surging through him, “Does it hurt?”

“N-No, well, I-I mean a little,” Jeremy stammered, “B-But I’m-I’m not ready.”

_God. Damn. It._ Ryan swallowed down his disappointment, internally scolding himself for being an asshole. He pulled out of Jeremy and reached over to grab tissues to wipe up the lube. Jeremy pulled closely to him and Ryan sat up fully to pull Jeremy into his lap. Anxiety throbbed in his heart.

“Tell me what I did wrong,” he murmured, rubbing his hand over Jeremy’s bare thigh.

Jeremy shook his head as he buried his face in Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan wrapped his arms around him and pressed his lips to Jeremy’s scalp.

“I-It’s not that,” Jeremy mumbled, “I-I’m just nervous...f-from being...inexperienced.”

“Ah, okay,” Ryan grunted.

“Are you...mad?” Jeremy murmured hesitantly.

“No, of course not,” Ryan dismissed, pulling him closer, “A little disappointed, but the downstairs idiot has no say over the upstairs one.”

Jeremy giggled and Ryan smiled lightly. _He’s okay._

“Choosing the first night in a new place was probably a bad idea anyway,” Jeremy muttered thoughtfully after a pause, “It just seemed like, I dunno, we’re taking a step, living together and I thought it would make sense. Plus I think...I wanted to procrastinate sleep.”

Ryan’s heart clenched.

“Still having nightmares?” He guessed.

“Nearly every night,” Jeremy confirmed tiredly.

“Maybe sleeping with someone will help,” Ryan suggested.

“I hope so,” Jeremy murmured, “Anyway, I’m sticky, I want to take a shower before we sleep.”

“A good idea,” Ryan agreed, “You use this one. I’ll use the communal one.”

Jeremy pulled back a bit.

“Are you doing that so you can jerk off?” He asked.

Ryan cleared his throat, looking away.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable when we lay down,” he admitted.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Jeremy assured him.

“I do,” Ryan grunted, carefully pushing Jeremy off his lap.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you in a bit, I guess,” Jeremy muttered as he got up and went into the bathroom.

Ryan gathered up the clothes he’d taken off and a fresh set of pajamas from the dresser. He was shaky and anxious. _I have to be careful. I don’t want to be like him, I don’t want to hurt Jeremy._ He hurried off to the bathroom to take a cold shower. 

The cold water soothed the anxiety attack somewhat. _Control._ That was one thing Vagabond didn’t have. _I have to stay in control._ Ryan sighed, bracing his hands on the shower wall. His head dropped as the water fell over him like an unrelenting torrent of frigid rain. He quelled the desire to cry. After everything, after all his mistakes, how could _he_ be the one that deserved to cry? 

~

Geoff was an idiot. He should’ve knocked on the door to the communal bathroom. He just hadn’t expected anyone to not lock it. Hadn’t expected anyone to use the shower in it, since they had showers in the bedrooms. Hadn’t expected to be faced with Ryan wearing only a towel around his waist and over his head where he was drying his hair. 

He’d closed the door before he grasped that someone else was in the bathroom. Ryan looked up, pulling the towel off his head to see who was intruding. His messy wet hair hung in his face as he raised an eyebrow at Geoff. Geoff was too busy to comment, watching water drip over his scars and the not even fully healed slice in his chest. 

Ryan’s head dropped and he was looking guilty again, as he had been the last three weeks any time Geoff locked eyes with him. 

“I’m in your way, my apologies,” he muttered, moving to pick up his clothes

“Ryan, I’m not mad at you,” Geoff murmured.

Ryan suddenly looked like he snapped, turning toward Geoff and advancing on him.

“I-I had to! I was worried about Jeremy!” He argued.

“I-I know,” Geoff assured him shakily, “I’m not mad. I-I understand.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?!” Ryan demanded, gripping his biceps, “You always look away from me! You won’t be alone with me! I just want to-What did I do??”

“Y-You didn’t do anything,” Geoff choked, burning at how close Ryan’s naked body was to him.

“Then why?!” Ryan shouted, shoving him against the door, “Tell me why!”

“I fucked Vagabond!” Geoff blurted.

Ryan flinched backwards slightly, looking startled. He was quiet a moment.

“For Jeremy,” he murmured.

“It...was mostly that,” Geoff admitted, “But I would be a liar if I said I didn’t enjoy it.”

“So now when you see me, you think of fucking him,” Ryan muttered bitterly, releasing Geoff’s arms.

“Ryan, I...shouldn’t lie,” Geoff mumbled, “It’s not just him I think about. I’m also attracted to you.”

Ryan’s eyebrows went up and then he looked away, face going pink. 

“R-Really?” He stammered.

Geoff could’ve died. 

“Yes, really,” he grumbled, “Haven’t you seen yourself? You’re extremely pretty.”

Ryan’s face went red and he was suddenly gripping the towel to keep it upright as his boner tried to dislodge it.

“I thought I was a narcissist,” Geoff snorted.

“Sh-Shut up,” Ryan huffed, “It’s not like I can control what it likes! Goddamnit, I came in here to get rid of the stupid thing!”

He suddenly shoved his hand against Geoff’s chest, pushing him into the door. He let go of the towel and Geoff struggled to keep his eyes up. Ryan took his left hand and put it on his cock.

“Fix your mess, Ramsey,” he growled.

Geoff shuddered, flushing as he wrapped his hand around Ryan’s cock. Ryan’s lips parted and his eyelids drooped as Geoff’s hand rubbed up his shaft. His hand smoothed up Geoff’s chest as he shifted closer, moving around to grip the back of Geoff’s neck. His forehead dropped to Geoff’s and he puffed out a heavy breath as his hips thrust into Geoff’s hand. Then his hand plunged into Geoff’s boxers to grip his cock.

“I am going to make a mess of you,” he promised in a whisper.

Geoff’s breath caught in his dry throat. Their lips brushed together, but no kiss actually really landed as they jerked each other off. Ryan came first, shooting all over the front of Geoff’s boxers with a tiny moan and stilling a few seconds. Unfortunately, before he could refocus on returning the favor, someone slammed their fist against the door, making them both jump.

“Ry, Michael’s having another panic attack!” Gavin shouted through the door, “Jeremy said you’re in here!”

Ryan pulled away immediately, grabbing his pants.

“I’m com-“ he started to call back.

He blushed, choking on the word.

“I-I’ll be there in a second!” He called instead, yanking his pants up.

Geoff moved to let him through, too worried about Michael to really lament the timing. Ryan paused with his hand on the doorknob, glancing back at him.

“Don’t worry,” Geoff dismissed, “I’m fine. Go make sure he is too.”

Ryan nodded sharply and quickly left the room. Geoff dropped his forehead against the door. _Good god, what the fucking shit am I doing???_

~

“Micool?” Gavin whispered into the quiet room.

“What’re you doing in my room?” Michael wondered.

Gavin came in and closed the door before hurrying over to Michael’s bed.

“You have a nightmare too?” Michael guessed as Gavin slipped in bed with him.

“Michael.”

Michael shuddered at the low tone of Gavin’s voice as he annunciated his name properly. 

“Uh, y-yeah?” Michael muttered nervously.

“I’m in love with you,” Gavin announced firmly, “And I want to have sex with you.”

“Wha...what?” Michael breathed.

“I’m in love with you,” Gavin repeated, “And I want to have sex with you.”

“Uh.”

“I wasn’t confident enough to bring this up in daylight,” Gavin mumbled, “But I thought...we live together now, I should, you know, tell you.”

“That’s, uh, I-I’m...th-the thing is,” Michael stammered.

“The thing is awkward,” Ray spoke up on the other side of Michael.

“Oh, what’s...what’s X-Ray doing here?” Gavin wondered.

“Had a nightmare,” Ray muttered, sitting up, “I guess I’ll fuck off.”

“No, it’s okay,” Gavin assured, sitting up too, “This was stupid. I should’ve-I’m an idiot.”

“Vav, you’re not an idiot,” Ray grunted, “You two should talk. You put it off long enough.”

He shuffled from the room and Gavin slowly laid back down.

“I’m...really embarrassed,” he mumbled.

Michael could just barely see him covering his face with his hands in the darkness and laughed.

“I love you too,” he admitted, “And I want to have sex with you too. But uh...there’s something weird about me you should know.”

Gavin dropped his hands and looked over.

“What?” He prompted.

Michael hesitated.

“I, uh, I don’t...have balls,” he confessed.

Gavin was quiet a second.

“What?” He grunted, confused.

“Balls, nuts, testicles,” Michael grumbled, “I don’t have any.”

“Oh.”

They were quiet a moment and Michael held his breath. _This is the part where he freaks out..._

“Can...can I see?” Gavin asked cautiously.

_“What??”_ Michael choked.

“I mean, if you’re self-conscious, it’s okay,” Gavin mumbled, “I won’t pressure you or anything. But...I wanna see. If it’s okay.”

He turned over, shifting closer.

“Is it...too soon to have sex?” He murmured.

“N-No...no, it’s okay,” Michael breathed.

He jolted a bit as Gavin’s hand touched his side. Gavin hesitated.

“You’re sure?” He murmured.

“Y-Yes, I’m just...a bit n-nervous,” Michael admitted.

Gavin’s nose brushed his and his breath caught in his throat.

“Don’t worry, love,” Gavin whispered, “I’ll do all the work.”

Michael’s blood went cold and he jerked back from Gold _-Gavin??_ Which was it?? He scrambled across the bed away from him, breath panting out of him. He dropped off the side. _Gavin, Gold, Gavin, Gold, Gavin, Gold._ His back hit the wall. _Dead dead dead! They’re dead! They’re dead!_ A firm hand suddenly pushed down on his head, shoving it between his knees. 

“Deep breaths, Michael,” Ryan ordered.

Michael gripped at his forearm in both hands.

“Dead!” He screamed.

“No, Michael, we’re all alive,” Ryan dismissed, “Take a deep breath for me.”

Michael ignored the order, screaming in raw pain. _Dead dead dead!_

“Michael!” Ryan snapped, “Focus on me.”

Michael clawed at Ryan’s forearm, sobbing and screaming. 

“Dead!” He cried, “They’re all dead!”

“No, they aren’t,” Ryan insisted, “You can trust me, remember?”

Michael whimpered.

“Take a deep breath for me,” Ryan ordered.

Michael gasped in a harsh breath.

“Out,” Ryan instructed.

Michael puffed out the breath. 

“Inhale,” Ryan continued, waiting for Michael to obey, “Exhale.”

Michael panted through some breaths until he was breathing correctly, evenly. He was exhausted and dizzy as he always was after. _Nearly a month_ _of this horseshit..._

“You with me?” Ryan prompted, fingers brushing through Michael’s hair.

“Y-Yeah,” Michael rasped.

“That’s my boy,” Ryan praised, “You want to talk about it?”

Michael crawled in his lap, burying his face in Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan rubbed his back soothingly.

“Gavin triggered you again,” he guessed quietly.

“He said...something Gold did again,” Michael admitted.

Ryan sighed.

“I wish there was a way to stop that,” he murmured.

“Me too,” Michael mumbled, “Why are you naked?”

“It’s just my shirt,” Ryan grunted, “I’m wearing pants.”

“You’re wet,” Michael added, pulling back, “You were showering.”

“I’d already gotten out,” Ryan assured him, “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay,” Michael answered, “Ready to go to sleep.”

“I’ll tell Gavin,” Ryan offered.

“Right,” Michael muttered.

He blushed. _How embarrassing. The first time and I fucking panic!_ Ryan helped him up and to his bed. 

“Thanks, Ry,” Michael mumbled.

“No problem, buddy,” Ryan dismissed, “Good night.”

“Night.”

~

Jeremy was alarmed by the fact Ryan was bleeding as he left Michael’s room. The others also seemed alarmed by this. Gavin immediately retrieved first aid while Ryan sat tiredly on the couch. Everyone cautiously sat as well, looking hesitant to ask what happened.

“This is normal,” Ryan muttered as Gavin swiped an alcohol wipe over the scratches, “He claws at me every time he panics. But usually I’m wearing more clothes.”

“Is he alright?” Gavin asked quietly.

Jeremy’s heart squeezed. _He must feel incredibly guilty._

“He’s sleeping now,” Ryan answered.

Gavin bandaged the scratches while they were all quiet a moment.

“We need therapy,” Geoff muttered where his head was in his hands.

_Yeah, no shit._ They disbanded without another word and Ryan retrieved his clothes before joining Jeremy in his bedroom. Ryan held him closely as they laid in quiet a moment.

“Jeremy,” he mumbled, “I...should tell you something.”

“That’s never good news,” Jeremy muttered.

“Geoff and I were sharing an intimate moment in the bathroom before Michael’s panic attack,” Ryan explained quietly.

“An intimate moment?” Jeremy repeated, “You were fucking Geoff??”

“Well, it was only our hands,” Ryan murmured, sounding guilty.

Jeremy was frozen a moment. 

“B-Because I wasn’t ready,” he guessed, “You found someone else.”

“No, it wasn’t that,” Ryan hastily assured him, “I didn’t go searching him out. It sort of just happened.”

“Right.”

“I didn’t want to share a bed with you like this,” Ryan added, “It felt dishonest. I’ll go now.”

“No, don’t,” Jeremy grunted, holding him tighter as he started to shift away, “Just give me a second.”

Ryan stilled. Jeremy considered the situation. He was jealous, he thought, but he didn’t feel all that angry. More worried and sad.

“You...still want to be with me, right?” He mumbled.

“Yes, of course,” Ryan answered, “My feelings toward anyone else don’t change my feelings toward you.”

Jeremy relaxed a bit. 

“Okay, as long as we’re still together, I don’t care,” he admitted.

“Really?” Ryan prompted, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, I know poly people,” Jeremy muttered, “It’s not exactly unusual. Next time you choose someone, tell me before though. I don’t like getting blindsided.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Ryan agreed hesitantly, “It really doesn’t bother you?”

“I’m a bit jealous,” Jeremy offered, “And I’m...a bit upset that you did this. But I understand getting caught up in a moment. I get you weren’t thinking clearly. As crazy as our lives have been, it’s a miracle the lot of us haven’t totally lost all reason.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan murmured, “I should’ve controlled myself. I was too emotional.”

“Maybe it would help to talk?” Jeremy suggested.

Ryan was quiet a moment.

“I...I think I just got tired of feeling guilty,” he confessed, “And I just...I wanted to be selfish.”

“That’s understandable after all you’ve done for the rest of us,” Jeremy muttered, “It’s okay to be a bit selfish as long as you’re not hurting anyone.”

“It doesn’t feel okay,” Ryan mumbled, sighing.

“Well, it is,” Jeremy insisted.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Ryan mused.

“Not a damn thing,” Jeremy snorted.

Ryan laughed. Jeremy smiled, relieved. _He’s okay._

~

Jack stared out over Los Santos, watching the movement still rippling through the city, even in the darkness. Working, even when her life seemed like it couldn’t get much worse. She wanted to scream. She wanted to demand the world stop and realize her family was hurting. She wanted to smash through things until they stopped being in pain. But this wasn’t something she could fix with more violence, despite how badly she wanted to.

“Rough night, huh?” Ray commented as he stood beside her.

“Understatement,” Jack scoffed.

“Yeah, pretty gross understatement,” Ray agreed, “Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah, not helped by a screaming family member,” Jack confirmed.

“So you’ve taken up staring forlornly out a window like a dramatic main character?” Ray muttered dryly.

“I don’t recall asking for your sass, Narvaez,” Jack grumbled.

“But you didn’t ask me not to sass you,” Ray pointed out.

“I’m gonna hurl you out this fucking window,” Jack warned.

“I’m pretty sure you can’t break these windows,” Ray countered.

“We’re about to find out,” Jack snorted.

Ray laughed, shaking his head.

“Thanks,” he muttered, “I feel a bit better now.”

Jack was surprised she managed not to fuck that up.

“We’ll get better,” Ray murmured, “We’ll heal. Of course the scars will always be there, memories of pain, but we’re gonna be alright.”

Jack knew he was probably right, but it didn’t feel like it could be true. They’d suffered so much it seemed like this was it, this was what it’d be forever. The anxiety, looking over their shoulder, waiting. There would be no happily ever after, there would be no healing or moving on. Instead, the book would have no “the end” on the last page. It would be left open, unresolved, maybe forever. An ambiguous ending.

Wasn’t that just their fucking luck? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Another one bites the dust and all that. This was a pretty difficult fic to write, tbh. I’m a bit relieved it’s over. 😅
> 
> Anyway, hit me up at @1stworldmutant to find out how to support me and get chapters a day early plus exclusive drafts. (My account is now on private, but I believe you can still see my profile.) Also, I just want to say a special thank you to all those who’ve been supportive on Twitter and commenting here. I really couldn’t keep going without y’all. ❤️ As always, may your paths stay lit, little stars~✨!


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